Dark Horse Gambit
by Zephyrus Genesis
Summary: Dark Horse: A term used to describe a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort. Gambit: Any maneuver by which one seeks to gain an advantage. What happens when you blend the two?
1. Prelude

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fossil Fighters, any of the vivosaurs or characters (Except for Creed), and am simply writing this for my own amusement.

**A/N:** While the game itself is the main backbone behind this story I take a fair amount of creative license. This extends to many hypothesises I came up with involving many aspects of Fossil Fighting left ambiguious in canon. One such example is how the Fighters control their vivosaurs and how integrating fossils may effect the vivosaur themselves. In fact, that paticular concept plays a _major_ part in this story.

**Acknowledgments:** Firstly, I would like to thank Devaro Ayanami for his wonderful help as both my Beta and my sounding-board. Secondly, I would like to thank LonelyUeki for writing the fanfic "Fossil Fighters" which inspired me to write this and for letting me use a couple of her concepts. Thirdly, I would like to thank Vathara for all the wonderful stories, which I highly recommend you read, he has posted. Reading them has helped me find ways of expanding my own writing style.

**The Prelude**

At first, she wasn't sure what had woken her. The roar of the boat engine filled her ears, but she had gotten used to it hours ago. Nor was it the notable dampness in the air, a result of the water spray stirred up by the boats passage over the water.

Drowsy aquamarine blinked at the sun's glare.

_Almost noon already?_

Creed breathed in deeply, stretching stiff muscles as she tried to identify what had woke her up.

"You coming in here, or not?" the captain called from the steering wheel in the cabin. His voice was easily heard over the engine

_Well…that answers that._

"Coming." Creed left her seat in the sun and entered the cabin, sitting down in the passenger seat.

"We're almost to Vivosaur Island." The captain informed. Creed nodded, sitting up a little straighter.

Vivosaur Island, a resort that had opened five years back and been an instant success thanks to its main attraction.

Fossil Fighting.

Through the use of a strange new technology, only available to the Richmond Corporation, ancient animal fossils could be taken and brought to life. The creatures produced, called vivosaurs due to the fact that they take on many traits very different from their dinosaur predecessors, could be used by people known as Fossil Fighters to fight one another in an arena. Of course, the Fossil Fighter had to first find a fossil to revive, and that's where Vivosaur Island came in. For reasons unknown, there was a ridiculous amount of fossils scattered all throughout the island, making it the ideal place for the resort. Fossil Fighters would go out, find fossils, and bring them back to first clean them and then revive them.

It had taken several months for Creed to get her hands on a ticket, long months and hard work. But in the end she succeeded, which was why she was now on the boat.

"Let me guess…" the captain's voice brought Creed out of her musings. "You're on your way to become a Fossil Fighter?"

Creed nodded in affirmation. Dinosaurs had always interested her, for as long as she could remember.

_Amazing how such a small bone could become such a major influence._

Said small bone had turned out to be the fragment of a tooth fossil belonging to a theropod of the spinosaurus family. After a lot of research, Creed had eventually learned that it had come from a dinosaur called an altispinax. Even after all these years, that one little fossil remained her favorite possession.

"Thought so," the captain continued, "I've seen that look in your eye before. But it says a lot about you. It takes bravery to go all the way to Vivosaur Island on your own. All my other passengers usually have a friend or family member with them."

_Smalltalk? He didn't say a word this whole trip, and he suddenly wants to talk now?_ A glimmer of suspicion stirred. All the same, there was no reason to be rude. _Not like back home, people are different here. _

Creed shrugged, but didn't comment.

"My name's Captain Travers, by the way, Ms. Peregrine."

Creed grimaced at the formality. "Creed, please."

"Creed then." Traverse grinned. "I think that's a great name! I can easily picture a famous Fossil Fighter named Creed."

Creed snorted, brushing a strand of dark auburn hair away from her face while wondering if the man was simply flattering her. "Fame, I can do without." She stated nonchalantly. "I'm just going for the vivosaurs."

"If you're out to become a Fossil Fighter, I imagine you're a big fan of dinosaurs, right?" Travers queried curiously. Bemused, Creed looked at him though gave an affirmative nod.

_No hidden motive…just curiosity._

"Which do you like better, then: Carnivores or Herbivores?"

Creed blinked, a little taken aback at the sudden question. _Odd question, where is he going with this? _"Carnivores."

Travers nodded. "What type do you prefer: Big and strong? Or small and quick?"

_That's a little tougher…_ "Both are appealing…let's go with small and quick. Where are you going with this?"

"Deinonychus, the stealthy red shadow! Velociraptor, the silent gray hunter! Which do you prefer?"

"Velociraptor," _Technically my favorites are large dinosaurs in the Spinosaur family, but for some reason I felt compelled to say Velociraptor._ "What's with the third degree?"

"Oh, no reason."

_Sure, and I'm a prima ballerina_.

"Just curious. I'll be sure to remember that, though. The velociraptor fan, Creed."

/\/\/\

_This doesn't _look_ like a high class resort,_ Creed mused as she stepped onto the dock and waved farewell to Captain Travers as the helmsmen pulled away again to deal with other things. _It, sort of reminds me of a small town shown in old Western movies, just without all the dirt, dust, and tumbleweeds._

"Welcome to Vivosaur Island."

Creed looked at the speaker and blinked. _Those are…colorful suits._ She had never seen suits in colors that weren't black, white, or the occasional dark blue. While an offshoot of blue, the suit she saw before her was certainly out of the norm, and that wasn't including the bright yellow shirt that was worn with it.

"Where the dinosaurs of ages past lie asleep as fossils in the ground." The brightly dressed woman finished cheerfully.

"Yes, welcome!" greeted a second woman, also in a suit, but with even more eye-catching coloring.

_I didn't think anything other than a Halloween costume came in that shade of teal…or magenta for that matter…_

"This is Vivosaur Harbor, Vivosaur Island's only port." Blue explained. "New people arrive every day. Some are just fans of dinosaurs, but some are new Fossil Fighters in the making!"

_Like myself._

"My name is Sue," Teal introduced, "and this is my co-worker, Beth." She bowed politely. "We work as support staff for the Fossil Fighters."

Remembering her manners, Creed returned the bow. "I'm Creed."

Both women smiled.

"To become a Fossil Fighter," Sue explained, "you'll need to visit the Fossil Center and talk to Dr. Diggins. The Fossil Center is that building straight ahead." She motioned towards a large domed building located directly across from the port.

It looked quite sophisticated, gleaming metal rather than brick or concrete like most building materials. White, gold, with hints of machinery in the mix—hello, what was that?

_That's something you don't see everyday… I don't believe I've ever seen someone with that particular hair color,_ Creed thought, torn between amusement and incredulity. Cyan, after all, was not a color that regularly appeared, even among people who died their hair outrageous color.

_Of course, that lab coat makes the hair stand out even more. Like a dot in the middle of a blank paper._

The man wandered down the east road, a conveniently placed sign said "Park Area", ignoring the road lines. He stopped, seemed to change his mind about something and turned around, walking diagonally to the intersection, right near a large fountain. Apparently that wasn't where he wanted to go either, because he turned around and went diagonally towards the docks before stopping near a large lamp light.

Creed watched, fascinated, as the man frowned in frustration.

"No, that's not it either…" he muttered, absently pushing his glasses up farther up the bridge of his nose.

_He seems rather lost…_

Beth and Sue, Creed noted, were also watching the man, both with identical expressions of longsuffering exasperation.

_They know him, and this doesn't look like it's the first time this has happened._

"Hang on a tick…" the man murmured suddenly, face screwed up in concentration and then he jumped up in realization. "I've got it!"

He spun around and ran past Creed and the two workers. Beth's hand shot out as he passed, gripping the man's elbow and expertly spinning him around to face her.

_Definitely not the first time._

"Excuse me, Dr. Diggins!" she said quickly.

Cyan eyes stared questioningly from behind glass lenses.

"May I assume you're here to take our newest recruit to the Fossil Center?" Beth queried.

"What…?" A confused blink. Cyan met aquamarine and the two each exchanged blank looks. Then a look of dawning flashed in cyan. "Oh, a new recruit? Of course!" a bright grin. "Always happy to show a new recruit the ropes!"

A previously unnoticed clipboard was brought out as Dr. Diggins quickly studied it. "Let me just…" trailing off, a look of incomprehension appeared on Diggin's face, then a vacant expression. "Change schedule…" A blink, then another confused look. "What were we talking about again?"

_Okay…he's certainly an interesting character._

"Never mind." Dr. Diggins shook his head, not noticing the flash of annoyance on Beth's face as he turned away. "I'll see you later."

Apparently he had remembered what he was trying to do before, because he took off running back towards the Fossil Center before anyone could stop him. Creed watched him go with poorly disguised intrigue as Beth met her gaze again. The older women gave an exasperated sigh.

"That was the head of the Fossil Center, Dr. Diggins." was the explanation. "He'll be responsible for issuing you your fighter's license." A glance in the direction the doctor had gone before giving Creed a sympathetic look. "Good luck with that."

Creed nodded absently, still staring after Dr. Diggins, who had disappeared into the Fossil Center. He certainly seemed like an interesting fellow. Interesting, and apparently harmless for the most part.

"You should probably get to the Center," Sue suggested, breaking Creed out of her revere, "I'm always at duty here at the waterfront, so if you have any questions, come ask any time."

Creed gave a slight start before bowing politely. "Oh, thank you."

/\/\/\

"Welcome to the Fossil Center! My name is Wendy."

Creed gave a polite nod of greeting to the receptionist as she approached front desk of the Fossil Center.

_It seems that brightly colored suits are the preference here._

"I take it you're here to register to become a Fossil Fighter?"

Creed nodded.

"Dr. Diggins returned just a while ago but has," an exasperated sigh, "unfortunately wandered off somewhere again. It could be a while before we find him. You might want to go to the hotel next door and check in while you wait."

_Exasperated, but not surprised. Annoyed, but not mad…more like resigned. I was right, this is a regular occurrence. _"Happens a lot, I take it." Creed commented casually.

"Unfortunately, yes." Wendy nodded. "He's a good man, but he can be more than a bit…"

"Scatterbrained?" Creed offered.

"I was going to say 'absentminded', but that'll work too."

/\/\/\

Walking out a door, a simple action that people don't think much about. It simply involves walking through an archway to reach the other side, in theory. In theory, walking from aforementioned doorway to a street intersection is not much more exciting. But, that's just a theory.

"I can't stop!"

_What the—?_

Pivot. Grab. Redirect and _flip_.

_Okay…That was unexpected._

Still gripping the 'assaulter's' wrist from the shoulder throw, Creed blankly stared down at another girl her age. The impact of her back to the hard ground had left the other girl momentarily stunned. Not that Creed was much better off.

_Darn reflex,_ she groused. She'd have to curb it, wouldn't do to send someone to the hospital because of a misunderstanding. It would lead to more questions she, in all honesty, would rather not respond to. That stimulated a rather morbid amusement. _Master would flay me if he saw me now._

"Sorry." Creed apologized, releasing her iron grip of the other's forearm and instead helping her to her feet. "You startled me."

"_I_ startled _you_?" The girl asked incredulously, swaying where she stood.

Ignoring the comment, Creed glanced over the girl, checking for any possible injury and saw none. "Why were you running, anyway?" _And, by Huene, _why_ were you running to fast to _stop?

Suddenly contrite and more than a little embarrassed, the girl sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "I'm Peggy. I was running….to get in shape, you know? And I guess I must've gone too fast because I couldn't slow down." A shrug. "Anyway, I'm really sorry."

Creed blinked. _This girl is a hazard._ A breath and then, "May haps next time you'll avoid running so fast when other people are walking, hm?"

_There, leave her to her embarrassment, get to the hotel_.

The building was completely pristine, and, from the strategically placed indoor palm trees, looked very luxurious.

"Welcome to the Relic Hotel." Creed looked up at the man.

"Dimitri" his nametag read, followed by the words "Hotel Manager". _He's wearing a regular suit…maybe only the women wear the eyesores?_

"Where we provide quality lodging for aspiring Fossil Fighters! We've been expecting you, Ms Peregrine."

A subtle twitch. "Creed, please."

"I'm sorry, Ms Peregrine, but that would be rude." He didn't sound to apologetic about it. Dimitri turned towards a nearby elevator. "Right this way, please." At his beckoning, Creed followed behind. "This elevator will take you to your room."

A quick elevator ride later and Dimitri was leading Creed down a hall. Dimitri apparently knew exactly what room he needed because he made a beeline for one specific door without glancing at any of the other doors which lined the hall.

"This is your room." He announced, unlocking the door in question before handing the key to Creed.

Creed stepped in and glanced around. It was nice, not overly furbished but not bare either. Actually, it was somewhat homey in feeling. She set her backpack down at the foot of her bed before remembering her manners and thanking Dimitri. The man bowed politely before turning out the door again.

"Have a nice stay."

_I intend to._

/\/\/\

Creed eyed the large boulder before her somewhat dubiously.

_Chip away the rock to clean the fossil. Easy enough._

Drill and hammer at hand, she set to work.

_A fossil fighter must be able to clean their own fossils_. She recalled from the briefing Dr. Diggin's had given her and the other recruits._ A broken fossil can't be used, so be careful how you use your drill and hammer. Due to limited space, you only have an hour to clean your fossil, no exceptions. If you don't manage to clean off at least fifty percent, then you lose the fossil. But, if you have over fifty percent uncovered then you can try and revive it. The better cleaned and the better uncovered, the stronger you're vivosaur will be._

Check with X-ray. Don't waste time with outer edges of the fossil rock. Chip around the fossil edges first. Don't hit the hammer in the same place twice, but don't space the hits to far apart. When hardest bits of rock are removed, use the drill for the softer parts so as not to damage the fossil.

Nearby, someone swore loudly as they damaged their fossil with an over enthusiastic jab of the drill.

_Don't tense up, relax. Ignore them. _

The fossil was all that mattered at the moment.

_Don't rush, take your time, do a good job, get good results. There's no real hurry._

The sounds all faded into the background.

/\/\/\

"Amazing, a 99% on your first try."

Dr. Diggins blinked as the auburn haired girl jerked in surprise, almost dropping the still-warm drill in her hands.

"Er, huh?" Surprised aquamarine looked up at him as the girl, Creed Peregrine, recovered herself.

_Oops, didn't mean to startle her,_ the scientist thought with a slight wince. "You're fossil." He pointed to the clean skull fossil.

A blink, followed by a blank look of confusion and Dr. Diggins frowned.

_Why would she be confused? Surely she noticed her own work._

Creed shook her head, looking a little disorientated. "Why is it so quiet?"

"You're the last one here, that's why I was coming over. The hour's up."

"Oh…" Creed looked back at her fossil as if finally seeing it. "I didn't realize how long I took."

_Ah…_ Dr. Diggins smiled. "I know the feeling. Fossil's are my passion." A chuckle. "If I didn't have people to pull me away from them, I'd spend day and night studying them."

Creed looked at him and Dr. Diggins realized he had begun to ramble.

_Oops._ "Let's go revive your fossil." He suggested, clearing his throat and motioning for some of the interns standing by to come help move the fossil.

"It's an altispinax skull, isn't it?"

Dr. Diggins barely restrained a jerk of surprise. She could identify the skull? Most people wouldn't be able to recognize a dinosaur beyond the commonly advertized ones like T-rex or the triceratops. Altispinax was far from renowned.

"That's right," he managed not to stutter, barely, "How did you know that?"

"The teeth."

_Pardon?_

"What do you mean?"

Creed pulled back the right sleeve of her jacket, revealing a braided leather band. Firmly attached to the leather was a tooth fragment.

_An altispinax tooth fragment,_ Dr. Diggins realized, seeing the resemblance between the tooth on the bracelet and the teeth in the skull.

"My first fossil." Creed explained, rolling down her sleeve again. "I've been fond of theropod dinosaurs ever since."

"I feel the same way with my stegosaurus fossil." Dr. Diggins commented, remembering fondly, the event that led him to discover said fossil. "I broke my mother's favorite tea cup and tried to hide it by burying it in the garden. A few shovel scoops later, I found this strange rock. I stopped digging to get a closer look at it. It turned out to be a Stegosaurus fossil!" A fond chuckle. "I was so excited; I forgot what I was doing in the first place. I ran inside to show my mom. She asked me where I got it, and before I knew it, I had to explain why I was digging in the garden."

The pair chuckled as the fossil was placed into the machine by the interns.

"I've only seen my mother angry a few times, but even so, I was excited about my discovery! That stegosaurus fossil is still my most prized position."

Dr. Diggins blinked. _Oops._ "And there I go, rambling again." He chuckled sheepishly.

"It's alright, you obviously love what you do."

"Now, let's revive the fossil."

/\/\/\

_It looks like Godzilla,_ Creed observed distractedly, eyes wide as she stared at the vivosaur in the revival chamber. Dark blue with green, nasty looking spikes along the ridge of its back and at least ten yards from nose to tail, the vivosaur was a sight to behold. Dark green eyes met aquamarine and Creed thought she felt something stir in the back of her mind before the vivosaur, a spinax according to Dr. Diggins, vanished in a flash of light.

A small medal, about half the size of a hockey puck, fell out of the machine and into Dr. Diggin's waiting hand.

"This is a Dino Metal." He held up the medal. "One of the advantages of our revival process is that vivosaurs can be carried around as these Dino Metals. You can always have your favorite vivosaur with you to challenge other Fossil Fighters in Fossil Battles. This vivosaur is yours to keep."

Creed took the offered medal, and froze.

_A whisper of wind drifted through a mass of sleepy grays_.

Creed frowned, puzzled by the foreign sensation.

_A drifting breeze stirring up streaks of red alarm among a spiral of disoriented gray-browns_

A stumble, Creed's legs trembled as she was suddenly accosted by the sensation of being confined in a small space.

_Sharp gusts darted about. Grays warmed in an upward spiraling flow of alert orange speckled with a sudden starburst of more alarmed reds _

"Creed, what's wrong? Creed!"

_Confined winds formed a whirlwind among waves of disoriented grey-browns and frenzied oranges dashed by streaks of red _

"Snap out of it!"

_Furious winds wound together tightly into a spiraling maelstrom of aggressive dark red-oranges with jagged blacks—_

_Enough!_ Creeds mind roared out over the increasing pressure. The effect was instantaneous.

_Gale winds died amidst a sudden train wreck of washed out oranges and surprised pale greens._

A blink as the whirlwind in her mind suddenly faded from awareness.

_I'm…on the floor?_

"Creed!"A voice tinged with hysteria. "Are you alright?"

_Why is he holding me?_ The distracted thought came as she became aware of a supporting arm behind her shoulders.

"What…just happened?" she managed.

"I was hoping you could tell me." Concerned cyan met disoriented aquamarine. "You just spaced out when I handed you the medal, and then collapsed!"

"It was a whirlwind…" Creed paused and grimaced at Dr. Diggins' expression. "In my mind, a whirlwind of colors and emotions. I—"

_The faint, timid whisper of wind among hesitant pale greens and questioning trickles of pale orange. Mother?_

"Creed…?" Dr. Diggins began warily, but stopped when Creed held up a silencing hand.

_Not mother._ She sent experimentally, trying to pinpoint the odd echoes in the recesses of her mind. _Creed._

_Confused whir of wind whispering through another questioning trickle of pale orange splashes. Creed…parent?_

_No. Partner._ Creed corrected gently, setting aside the sheer strangeness of the situation for the present time being.

Better to go with the flow now, than get bashed later for negligence. Like deflecting a blow to the side rather than taking it head on.

_A small breeze whirled, confused streaks of muted browns and grays over a backdrop of reddish green frustration. Partner?_

_Union, help each other._ Creed tried, trying to convey the concept of 'partners' to the strangely child-like awareness that was touching her mind. An awareness she realized, with an understandable level of shock, was the spinax she had just received. _You fight, I direct, support._

_Warmth to a dancing breeze, a sudden starburst of excited orange-yellow. Fight?_

_Not now—_

_The dancing breeze abruptly receded. Orange-yellows spiraled down into disappointed blues._

—_soon. _Creed felt some level of amusement as the metaphorical breeze did a kind of happy jig before receding from her awareness. Just how a breeze did a jig was beyond her.

"You heard the spinax, didn't you?"

Creed jumped, having forgotten that Dr. Diggins was there. The scientist in question had a bright, unidentifiable gleam in his eyes.

With some hesitance, Creed voiced, "Does that…happen to everyone?"

"According to my tests, everyone links with their vivosaurs to some extent. I've never heard of such an extreme reaction though."

A frown. "What kind of links?"

"Well, when a Fossil Fighter shouts out an order they have their intentions on the forefront of their mind. Their vivosaur picks up on those intents and acts accordingly to the best as they are capable of. It's an incredible phenomenon where the vivosaur picks up their Fighter's Beta Waves with their Parietal and Occipital Lobes and translates the signals with the Left Frontal Lobe and then from there to the cerebellum to act out the command. I've been doing studies on this, I call it the Fossil Mind Phenomenon," a chuckle, "or FMP, but I haven't yet figured out how deep the connection is. I didn't realize it could be a two-way connection though, but it would explain why the Temporal and Frontal Lobe are so highly developed…this calls for more testing…oh!"

A blush worked its way over deeply tanned skin.

"I'm sorry, I'm rambling again."

A chuckle. "It's alright, I may not have understood everything you said, but I think I got the gist of it." Creed looked down at the metal shining innocently between her fingers. "It's an amazing thought," she looked back up, "I'd be willing to help you with your studies, within reason of course."

Cyan brightened joyfully. "You would? That'd be wonderful! Oh, not again—" palm slapped forehead, "You're supposed to be taking the second test to acquire you Fossil Fighting License, and here I am distracting you and getting off track!"

"What does that entail?" _I hope it isn't as bad as this one was._

"You'll have to fight a proctor to see if you have what it takes to handle vivosaurs. Don't worry. I know you'll do great!"

/\/\/\

Creed strode down the hallway in the Fossil Stadium. According to the receptionist she was the last person of the day to have a qualifying match. She had, in fact, almost been too late because of the event during her cleaning test. Fortunately, Dr. Diggins had told the receptionist it had been mostly his fault for the delay and talked her into letting Creed participate.

Her opponent stood waiting for her at the doorway to the outdoor stadium—

"Captain Travers?" Creed just barely managed to avoid making a surprised 'squawk'. The Captain gave a loud laugh.

"We meet again, Creed!" He greeted with a broad grin.

Creed recovered and dipped her head politely with a somewhat surprised smile. "You're my opponent?"

"Yup. I'm one of the people who test all new recruits to see if they have the skill needed to be a Fossil Fighter." A smug smirk. "I guess it's time for your first Fossil Battle." A confident glint in dark eyes. "And I don't expect to lose, Creed."

"Since when do we ever expect to lose?" Creed returned evenly, a matching glint in her eyes.

Side-by-side they entered the stadium to the cheers of all the onlookers. Once standing at their places, on opposite ends of the battlefield, they pulled out their Dino Metals.

The spinax materialized beside her.

_A flurry of dancing gusts swirling bright excited oranges._ Spinax glanced down at her form the corner of its eye. _A tentative whisper of questioning pale orange. Fight?_

_Yes._ Creed sent back as green eyes lit up.

_Victorious whirlwind, starbursts of yellow among excited orange_

Creed twitched at the volume of the vivosaur's roar.

_Calm down!_ She scolded sharply, holding up a warning hand.

_A sputter in the whirlwind coupled with a sudden splatter of embarrassed pale pinks._

The spinax settled down slightly.

A satisfied nod and Creed turned to her opponent. Travers had sent out a small, predominately blue-violet vivosaur, no longer than two yards from nose to tail.

_A pachycephalosaurus-based vivosaur,_ Creed noted while observing the helmet-like skull specifically designed for bashing. Not unlike a mountain goat's skull and horns. It was also both its trademark trait and namesake, which translated to "Thick-Skulled Lizard."

_Heavy muscles in the thighs and calves with wide feet,_ she observed. It was much like a kangaroo, leading Creed to the conclusion that it would be an expert jumper. _Small and light, likely good at hitting hard and fast while evading retaliatory blows._

"Goyo!" Travers yelled out abruptly. "Use Rock Head!"

Sand exploded upward.

_That's fast—Watch out!_

The warning came too late. Caught by surprise at the incredible speed, the spinax was unable to move its large body fast enough to avoid the blow. Heavily armored skull met thick skinned midriff, the force of the former actually forcing the nine plus meters of solid muscle to slide back over loose sand.

Creed quickly shielded her face from the wave of sand that washed over her.

_An alarmed gust of wind, surprised pale-green splashes winding among alarmed streaks of red. Creed!_

_Safe! Retaliate!_ Creed sent back, brushing grit out of her eyes and hair.

With a roar, the spinax complied, swinging sharp claws downward—

—and hit nothing but empty air as the nimble Vivosaur agilely leapt back to the other side of the arena.

_Buffeting frustration amidst jagged swirls of annoyed red-oranges_

_Test, look for weaknesses, misdirect. _"Spinax Fang!"

The spinax shot forward, heavy head a gaping chasm of sharp serrated teeth. The massive shadow fell over the diminutive goyo as the spinax descended—

_Those are some strong legs…_ Creed mused as the Thick-Skulled Lizard nimbly skated to the side, powerful legs easily carrying it several meters away.

With a roar, the larger theropod gave chase to the faster fighter, but each advance was easily evaded as the goyo danced circles around it. Mocking chirs and barks filled the air.

No one but Creed noticed the calculating gleam in sharp green eyes, or realized that the spinax was not moving as swiftly as he could.

_Now._

_A sense of growing pressure, the calm before a storm. Faint trickles of confirmatory tints were the only motion amidst frozen dark oranges of anticipation. _

Heavy body curled around as powerful jaws attempted to snap up the goyo from a side angle. The other vivosaur evaded in the only direction available to it but was met with an oncoming tail. Muscles hardened and then sprang out, carrying it straight up and far out of reach of the blow.

"Rock Head again! Finish it off!" Travers shouted at the apex of the goyo's leap.

The Hard-Head Lizard dived down, tucking in its limbs and taking on the resemblance of an oncoming missile.

A smirk. _Gotcha._

_Wind roared, releasing its wrath in a wave of aggressive red-orange._

A yowl of pain filled the arena as the goyo, not the spinax, took damage. Slashed by the sharp quills set in the spinax's back and suffering heavy blunt impact from iron-hard muscles, the goyo offered no resistance as the spinax reared back, throwing it off.

"Spinax Fang!"

Powerful fangs closed around the airborne Vivosaur. It let out a shrill cry before dissolving in a flash, reverting to its Dino Medal form.

_A roaring tempest melded with starbursts of victorious golds and reds._ The spinax stood to its full height and let out a trumpeting roar to mirror the colors and patterns of its mind.

Victory was theirs.

/\/\/\

"Well, how about that, Creed!" Travers exclaimed as they went back inside the Fossil Stadium. "I guess that makes you an official Fossil Fighter! " They came up to the reception desk and Travers turned to Creed. "Here's a little something for you."

Creed took the object in hand.

_A fossil rock?_

It was fair sized, and heavy. She sent Travers a questioning look.

"It's a fossil rock for the vivosaur you said you liked." _Velociraptor._ "It isn't a head, though, so you can't revive it."

"Then what do I do with it?" Dr. Diggins hadn't mentioned what other fossils could be used for.

"You don't know?" Surprised, Travers explained. "Non-skull fossils can be integrated into vivosaurs with the revival chamber to increase their abilities and give them new attacks."

A blink. "Oh. I suppose that makes sense."

"I'm wishing you the best, Creed." Travers turned and walked away. "Good luck."

Movement behind her made Creed turn away from watching the boat captain's exit. Dr Dr. Diggins walked up with a big grin. "Congratulations, Creed!" He seemed to shiver with excitement. "You're connection with Spinax is amazing, I've never seen anything like it. It merits more study…" he shook his head and visibly forced himself back on topic. "I can now present you with your Fighter's License." He held out a Fossil Fighter ID card. Creed graciously accepted the two-by-four card.

"That's proof that you're now a recognized Fossil Fighter." A glance at his watch and the scientist gave a start. "Yikes, where'd the time go? You must be tired anyway, Creed." He grinned somewhat apologetically. "Sorry for all the yapping again. Your life as a licensed Fossil Fighter begins with a bang tomorrow. Get yourself a good night's rest."

He hurried away again. "Best of luck on your road to becoming a Master Fighter, Creed!" He called over his shoulder, almost colliding with one of the other occupants of the auditorium.


	2. Chapter 1: The Missing Medals I

**Chapter 1  
The Missing Medals I**

The sun rose above the horizon. Its rays touched over the veranda of a hotel room, turning the immediate area a warm blend of yellows and golds.

_This is nice._

Creed leaned back in a chair, taking in the rays of Vitamin D.

_A warm updraft caressing a muted rainbow of content yellows and pinks. Warm._

Aquamarine glanced at the Dino Medal resting in the light on the table beside her. Even it its Dino Medal, the vivosaur could feel the same warm rays.

_Or is it that he feels echoes of what I'm feeling?_ Creed wondered lazily. _I'll have to remember to ask Dr. Diggins. _

_*Knock-knock*_

A glance back through the open sliding glass door towards the solid door leading to the hotel corridor.

"Hello? Anyone home? Creed? I forgot a few things. I do that sometimes."

_Speak of the devil._ A wry smirk.

Scooping up the Dino Medal, Creed went and opened the door.

"Good morning." Dr. Diggins said brightly as Creed stepped back to let him in.

"Morning." Creed returned with a polite nod.

Dr. Diggins extended leather-bound book. "This is your Fighter's Journal." He explained. "It's useful for keeping track of events and for taking down notes."

_That does sound useful. And it's small enough I can carry it in my sleeve…oh! It even comes with a pen, how convenient._

"And here are your tools for Fossil Hunting." He extended a sling backpack, also made of leather. "There's a sonar system for locating the fossil rocks, and a pickaxe for digging them up, and a fossil case for holding carrying them."

_Pretty straight forward._ Creed examined the pack curiously.

"It's just the bare basics, and not the best quality. You can upgrade your sonar and fossil case at the supply and items store, but it can be pretty pricy."

"How does the Fossil Case work?" The case wasn't all that large and certainly didn't seem like it could hold even the small fossil rock Travers had given her.

"Open it up."

Doing so, Creed found eight uniformly spaced indents, each about the size of a Dino Medal.

As she examined them, trying to discern their purpose Dr. Diggins moved to the shelves and picked up the fossil rock Travers had given her.

"It works like this." He held the fossil over one of the indents.

A flash, and then—

A shrill whistle escaped Creed's lips as she examined the miniature fossil snuggly fitted in the space.

"Impressive."

"It follows the same principle as what lets vivosaurs be converted into Dino Medals, just not quite as efficient. You should practice with the tools to get used to them. I'd suggest the trial dig site. Go talk to Bea Ginner in the Park Area. She'll show you the ropes. Anyway," a glance at his watch, "I've got to get back to the Fossil Center."

He turned and walked out of the room at a brisk pace.

Creed examined the case one more time before putting it back. Grabbing her coat, she slipped it on before strapping the sling backpack to her back and leaving her room.

/\/\

"Excuse me, are you Bea Ginner? I was told to come to you to learn how to use my gear."

Bea Ginner, oh how she hated her name, turned at the voice.

_Japanese and medieval-ish taste in clothing. _She observed with a blink, taking in the long tunic and jacket that looked like it had pockets on the inside of the sleeve lining.

"Yes, that's right. No jokes, please. I teach all the rookies who come here for the basics of digging up fossils." _According to the reports, you were the only one of yesterday's group to qualify as a fighter on your first attempt. And with almost perfect marks too. _"Shall we go to the trial dig site and get some hands-on experience?"

A nod and Bea led the novice, Creed, to a small roped off portion of the Park Area known as the trial dig site.

"I've buried three rocks in this area. I want you to use your sonar to find them and your pickaxe to dig them up."

A nod, and Bea watched as Creed pulled the sonar out her sleeve. _Hah! I thought so!_

The novice studied the sonar for a moment before experimentally activating it. The following three pings were not unexpected to Bea, who already knew what to expect, but seemed to surprise Creed slightly before she walked to where the nearest _Ping_ had originated from. She pulled her collapsible pickaxe from its place in her sash and quickly dug up the first fossil.

It was a large one, not easily carried by hand.

"Now take out your case and put it in." Bea instructed.

Creed did so, pulling the case from one of the front pockets of her backpack and opening it up. She held it out at a downward angle and let the case do the rest.

"_Spinax (Head)."_

Bea had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling as Creed jumped at the voice that resonated from the case.

"The case remembers all the fossils you get and have cleaned in its databanks. You can take fossils you've cleaned before and clean them again to try and get a higher score. With a better-quality fossil, we can integrate more genetic data into your vivosaur to make it stronger. You can also either donate for credit or sell it at the Item's Store for a fair price." She explained as Creed looked at her with somewhat annoyed aquamarine eyes. "If you don't want it, I'll take it for later."

_It's always good to have uncleaned Fossil Rocks on hand for when I teach new Fossil Hunters._

Seeing the consenting nod, Bea pulled out her own Fossil Case and held it open over the spinax Fossil Rock. A brief flash and it was moved from one case to the other.

"The case will tell you when you have a new fossil in addition to identifying the ones you've found and cleaned before." She continued, putting her case away, "It'll even let you know when you find a Jewel Rock."

"Jewel Rock?"

A nod. "A Fossil Rock with a precious gem inside. They're worth a lot of gold at the Item's Store. But you should know that other Fighters will challenge you for them, even if you found it first. If you don't fight, they'll take it from you."

Creed hummed thoughtfully before closing the case and slipping it back in the bag and pulling out the sonar again. A moment later she unearthed a big piece of graphite rock. She gave it a bemused stare before looking questioningly at Bea.

"Unfortunately you will dig up those rocks from time to time. For some reason the minerals in those types of rocks confuse the basic sonar. But you can get upgrades to deal with that quirk."

A nod, and then Creed located and dug up the final Fossil Rock.

"_New Fossil Rock."_

"As it suggests, that's a Fossil Rock you haven't cleaned yet. You won't know what it is until it has been cleaned." A pause. "If you're done here, you'll want to take it over to the Fossil Center for cleaning." A laugh. "Dig, clean, revive! That's the path to a large stable of powerful vivosaurs and success in battle."

"You can leave now if you want, but I'm pretty sure there are a couple more Fossil Rocks buried around here somewhere."

"I'll look for the extra fossils first." Creed decided, before turning away to do so.

_She's a natural._ Bea noted as she watched Creed. The novice was obviously familiar with the use of a pickaxe, or at least similar tools, because she didn't have any of the unbalanced stutters most new Fossil Fighters had. Her unearthing of the Fossil Rocks was also done with apparently little effort on Creed's part. This actually made Bea a little jealous.

Digging up fossils was a very physically taxing endeavor, and it sometimes took Fossil Fighters several long minutes before they work it free. Creed made it look easy.

_I wonder what she does that leaves her so physically fit,_ Bea wondered and then frowned thoughtfully. _Maybe some kind of martial arts? That looks like one of the forms I've seen in the competitions that plays on TV sometimes._

"I'm ready to leave now."

Bea jumped, having been too busy with her thoughts to notice Creed walk back up to her. Flustered, she nodded.

"When you're done cleaning, feel free to come back and continue practicing."

"Alright." The novice turned and left without another word, leaving various questions in Bea's mind.

/\/\

_That was rather fun._ Creed thought as she walked through the lobby of the Fossil Center and to the door to the cleaning room.

"Hello!"

_Ow…_ Creed grimaced trying to blink past explosions of white.

The sound of amused laughter reached her ears.

"Oh sure, laugh at the fact that I almost brained myself." She drawled sarcastically, fighting a blush and tenderly massaging the growing lump on her head, courtesy of an intimate encounter with cold metal.

_Do not blush, do not blush, everyone gets startled some time._

Dr. Diggins tried, unsuccessfully, to curb his laughter, but instead almost fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry Creed." He managed, "That wasn't supposed to scare you." The laughter gradually calmed to a series of sniggers.

As the last of the stars faded, Creed looked at what had startled her in the first place.

She blinked in surprise. Hovering before her was a small silvery robot with spindly arms and an extending horn that closely resembled a drill.

"What's this…?" Creed trailed off, shooting a dark look at Dr. Diggins, who was finally managing to get his laughter under control.

"Creed, let me introduce you to KL-33N." he walked over to stand next to the robot.

"Pleased to meet you." KL-33N chittered cheerfully. "KL-33N at your service."

_Are its optics shining with _admiration_? _Creed thought incredulously, somewhat taken aback.

"KL-33N is here to manage your fossil rocks and cleaned fossils." Dr. Diggins explained. "He'll help you get everything cleaned and revived the way they should be."

KL-33N spun around energetically.

"I am unrivaled when it comes to revival!" he chirped proudly with a military-esque salute. "Ready to serve!"

A disbelieving blink.

"KL-33N is also programmed to observe your cleaning and learn over time." Dr. Diggins continued, not noticing Creed's expression. "When he's watched you long enough, you may well be able to let him handle all your cleaning for you."

_That…sounds quite useful and convenient._ Creed thought practically, forcing back the sense of incredulity.

"I will do my best!" KL-33N declared as he clasped metallic arms in front of him. His optics shone brightly, like an excited puppy. "And I will certainly learn faster by watching the master!"

_He really means it._ Creed realized. _That's honest belief, not flattery._ She blinked as an odd warmth spread in her sternum. _Is this what having a younger sibling feels like?_

"You've got to give him credit for his eagerness, eh?" a laugh, "I'm sure you guys will get along great!" A quick wave, and the scientist promptly exited the room with a farewell shout of "See you!"

For a long moment, there was an awkward silence, then—

"I have some fossils to clean." Creed began somewhat lamely.

KL-33N's optics lit up. "Oh, please do, Master!" He exclaimed. "And I will watch, then help you move the fossil afterwards!"

"Um, okay." Creed walked over to the cleaning chamber and pulled out her fossil kit before setting to work.

It didn't take long before she became aware of a consistent whirring near her ear, sending uncomfortable shivers down her spine. Pausing in her work, she glanced back.

"Please don't hover by my ear," she requested politely, "It's distracting."

"Oh! My deepest apologies, Master!" The machine whirred contritely and backed off to a more respectful distance.

Creed watched him a moment before turning back to her work.

Loosen rock with hammer, find and expose perimeter of the fossil, use drill to free the rest.

Before she knew it, she was finished the fossil, an oval shaped skull.

"That's a goyle skull." A perplexed whir. "That's odd, according to my databanks, the fossils found at the trial dig site are usually shanshan skulls."

"Maybe they changed it for variation?" Creed suggested.

"Possibly…"

Then, with an ease belaying his small size, KL-33N gently lifted the fossil and moved it to the revival chamber.

Motion behind her made Creed turn.

_What is _that_ supposed to be?_

"Oh, you're about to revive another vivosaur?" Dr. Diggins inquired, pushing a large machine roughly the size of a vending machine, "Mind if I watch and take notes?"

"Not at all." Creed answered, eyeing the machine as Dr. Diggins placed it next to the main computer console. "What is that?"

"Oh, this?" A gesturing wave to the machine, to which Creed nodded. "It's a Vivosaur Management Machine—or VMM—that holds your vivosaurs as medals for storage and organization. People tend to prefer carrying only five vivosaurs at a time, for easy access. Too many Dino Metals at once and it can be hard to keep track of them all!"

"So it's optional to use?"

A nod. "Yes, but it's strongly advised."

"I'll keep that in mind." Creed assured.

"The fossil is ready for revival, Master!" KL-33N called from in front of the revival chamber.

/\/\

_A walking tank._ Creed thought with some amusement. The goyle was an ankylosauria-type vivosaur, ankylosauria meaning "Fused Lizards", and was a little over three meters long, predominately violet in color with complementing reddish spikes. Its low body and armored back made it ideal for defense, though that wide spade-tipped tail wasn't anything to laugh at.

Sleepy black eyes stared at them somewhat balefully before the goyle was converted to Dino Medal form.

This time when she took it, Creed was braced for the sudden surge of colors. She needn't have worried.

_A lazily drifting warm updraft skating over a near solid wave of lazy muted colors. _

Creed frowned, this felt nothing like the spinax with the exception of the wind affinity. No eagerness, now enthusiasm, just a constant sense of drowsiness.

"Is something wrong, Creed?" Dr. Diggins asked, notebook in hand, "Did you feel anything? What happened?"

"I think I'm going to have trouble with this one." Creed commented, eyeing the medal, "This one just wants to sleep, no drive at all."

"No panic?"

A negative shake, "No, for one, it had a longer chance to wake up, for another, I think it's too lazy to panic or lash out."

"Interesting…" soft scratching of pen across paper, "Do you think it's because it's a herbivore rather than a carnivore?"

"No, I think that it's just lazy by nature."

"Nature? So you think they have different natures?"

A nod. "Yes, my Spinax enjoys a good fight, a chance to stretch out and test its skills. Goyle, however, well…I doubt I'll get much from it without a lot of effort on my part."

"I see," more scribbling, "Thank-you, Creed, that was most informative. Now, how does the nature of the vivosaur effect their skills, what range of natures are there? Hm…"

Creed shook her head with a wry grin as Dr. Diggins wandered away, still muttering under his breath.

"Will you be doing the other fossils, Master?" Spoke up KL-33N, having been silent until then.

"Yes." _Best deal with them now, I don't have much need for doubles and I might get something out of donating them, like Bea mentioned._

/\/\

_There's nothing but Goyle heads…_ Creed noted, somewhat put out as she reburied the fossil she had just found. There was no need to take up space in her case, after all.

Motion behind her made her glance back.

"Hey there." A boy about her age greeted cheerfully.

_Charcoal and flame._ Creed noted, taking in the colors of the boys outfit, _Probably acts like fire too. _

"I'm Holt. Good to meetcha."

"Creed."

"You've only fought one-on-one battles, right?"

"I only got my second vivosaur a couple hours ago."

"Then why don't I show you the deal with two-on-two battles?" Holt grinned, "You're a rookie, right? You could probably use the experience."

Mildly amused at the boy's somewhat haughty tone, Creed quirked an eyebrow and smirked.

"Why not? I need to test my goyle out anyway."

"Betcha realize this is gonna be fun!" A cocky grin. "Alright, time to test out your skills! Don't think I'm gonna take it easy on you, rookie!"

They leapt back away from each other, both tossing their Dino Medals.

"Go, igua and V-raptor!" Holt yelled.

_So _that's_ a V-raptor._ Creed noticed as her own vivosaurs materialized in front of her. Derived from velociraptors the "Swift Thief" the v-raptor was tiny, hardly two meters, with blue and white fur and large gold eyes.

Its partner, the igno, was an ornithopod, or "Bird-footed" dinosaur, or to be more specific, the Iguanodon, was even larger than spinax's nine meters, topping eleven meters. Predominately green, it moved back and forth on the toes of its feet in a loose martial arts stance.

_Careful._ Creed sent. _New opponent._

_Warm and cold currents winding together in a growing storm. Clouds of eager orange blended with splashes of cautious green. Careful._ It agreed.

"Um…Creed?" Holt called somewhat hesitantly from behind his vivosaurs. "Your goyle fell asleep."

A blink. Creed looked at the aforementioned vivosaur and was hard pressed to restrain a rising groan.

_I knew it._ She thought with some annoyance. _Wake up!_ She commanded sharply.

_An annoyed whisper of wind accented lazy washed out blue-greens. No._

Creed felt a muscle over her brow twitch involuntarily at the brush off. She looked at the spinax, who was studying her from the corner of its eye.

_Sharp gusts of annoyance among questioning pale orange and sharp flashes of violet-red contempt._

Creed raised a hand and snapped her fingers. _Wake it up._ She ordered.

The spinax did so all too readily. Its heavy head lowered until it was directly beside the sleeping goyle's head. It then opened its mouth and let loose an earsplitting roar.

_A dizzy swirl of wind among a startled starburst of blended greens and reds. _

The goyle actually jumped several feet straight up, quite a feat considering its short legs. It shot a reproachful look at the spinax before actually trying to settle down again.

_Stop!_ Creed sent loudly and was met with resistance.

The spinax growled and inhaled to roar again. The goyle got the message and broodingly straightened up again.

"Alright!" Creed called, "We can start now."

Hands slowly pulled away from pained ears as Holt shot them an incredulous look before nodding.

"V-raptor: Veloci-Claw on Spinax! Igua: Fist Jab on Goyle!"

_Duck and sidestep._ Creed sent to the spinax and the goyle respectively.

The spinax did as ordered right away, dropping down until its belly scrapped the ground. The v-raptor overshot its strike, having been aiming for the eyes, and instead went soaring right into the spinax's largest crest spike.

The goyle, on the other hand, stubbornly remained stolidly in place and was solidly struck by a one-two combo jab from the igno's powerful forelimbs.

Creed smirked somewhat vindictively at the astonished splashes of bright blue that came from the ankylosaur as it made a deep indent in the ground. The smirk broadened as turbulence began to speed up amidst warming reds of anger.

_A laughing gale amidst exploding pinks and yellows. Serves right!_

The theropod seemed hard pressed not to give a voracious roar of mirth, his large bulk shook like a drum and his eyes shown with laughter.

_When did I start thinking of the spinax as a 'he'?_ Creed wondered

_A flustered breeze escorting quick flecks of embarrassed pink over the background of growing anger._

The goyle regally straightened up, dirt on its head, trying to look as dignified as possible.

Creed snickered and Holt guffawed loudly so hard he almost fell over.

_Ready to listen now?_ Creed sent.

_A scoff of wind, grudging swirls of submitting light greens. Fine._

_Good._

"Spinax Fang and Body Axe!"

The spinax shot forward at the igua, teeth barred, the goyle right behind it.

"V-raptor: Veloci-Claw on Spinax! Quickly! " Holt quickly countered.

_Deflect it, act like a scattering wind._ Creed sent to the spinax, acknowledging wisps of stray colors answered her.

As the v-raptor shot forward and leapt, lower this time, spinax reacted. One of his arms, surprisingly long for a theropod, shot out under the swift thief's body as it flew. A quick flick, and it was flung off course, over the spinax's shoulder and right into the path of the goyle's spade tail.

With a cry, it vanished in a flash.

The spinax descended on the igua, teeth bared.

"Fist Jab, quick! Don't let it get close!" Holt shouted.

_Evade it._ Creed sent.

With a partial swing of his heavy head, the spinax altered trajectory just enough to avoid the blow and scrape against the igua's side as he passed.

_Like an arrow._ Creed noted._ Hm…in more ways than one._

The igua trumpeted loudly as its attack struck nothing but air. It overbalanced and the spinax immediately capitalized on the opportunity. As he passed the igua's haunches he swung his head sharply. It slammed heavily into the igua's back, serrated teeth cutting deep before being roughly torn away. An alarmed bugle sounded as the bird-footed vivosaur was sent sprawling forward.

_A roaring gale of aggressive red-oranges and vindictive violet-reds._

The goyle spun sharply on one of its forelimbs in a 180, spaded tail catching the fallen igua directly across the face.

The now blinded vivosaur crashed heavily on its side.

_Gotchya. _"Spinax Fang!"

Teeth sunk deeply into the junction of neck and shoulders.

A pained wail echoed as the vivosaur returned to hid Dino Medal.

"Wow!" Holt gaped in shock. "That's some good battling there." A pause as he went to retrieve his medals. "You beat me and I'm pretty good! I guess I'll see you later."

With a wave, the other fighter walked away.

_He seems a bit frustrated._ Creed observed before looking at her own vivosaurs. _Oh for the love of—_

The lazy goyle had gone back to sleep.

"Lazy lizard, isn't he, Aero?" Creed looked at the spinax. She didn't need the transmitted colors to recognize the question in his green eyes. "Your new name."

_A thoughtful breeze winding through questioning pale orange._ _Aero? _

_It means wind._ Creed explained. _It is also an object that moves very fast in a straight line and can cause a lot of damage. Like when you evaded the igua's attack._

Aero seemed to swell up slightly at the praise.

_Dancing winds singing through bright yellow joy and splashes of light-green admiration. Aero…like it._

He paused and glanced at the sleeping goyle, his question plain in his posture. Creed thought about it for a moment before answering.

_Lethar, short for 'lethargic', another word for 'lazy._ She sent. Aero blinked before a starburst of yellow-orange laughter accompanied a deep belly roar.

Lethar stirred slightly and sent a reproachful look at the spinax before closing his eyes again.

_You are Lethar._ Creed sent before he fell asleep completely.

_Still air and a placid background of sleepy dull pinks and browns. Fine. So what?_ And he was asleep again.

Exasperated, Creed sighed heavily before returning the pair to their Dino Medals. Movement made her turn.

_Everyone comes up from behind…_ she noted with slight annoyance, giving Dr. Diggins a wave of greeting.

"Hey there, Creed!" the scientist called cheerfully. "I saw that battle. I didn't notice until now just how a vivosaur's personality can affect their fighting until I saw the difference between your spinax and goyle."

A blink. "Hadn't you noticed before when you were studying vivosaurs?"

A negative shake. "Not at all, I thought it was simply their own skill levels that affected how they fought. You know, how some, let's say spinax just for the heck of it, have different physical statistics. One may be really physically strong, but may be slow to evade an attack, another might have strong evasion and attacking skills but low endurance and defense. That kind of thing."

A pause, and then, "Then there's the matter of how many fossils were integrated into them and how well the fossils were cleaned. That's another major factor with Vivosaurs. " his voice gradually rose in volume, "A poorly cleaned fossil makes for a badly inhibited vivosaur, that's why we don't let anyone revive a fossil that's badly damaged or less than fifty percent clean, it's for the vivosaur's own sake! Not many Fossil Fighters can clean their fossils as quickly and thoroughly as you can, so most vivosaurs tend to act a bit—" he trailed off, trying to find the right word.

"Robotic?" Creed offered, following the scientist's train of thought, "Mentally impeded?"

"A bit robotic, yes." Dr. Diggins nodded. "Looking back, I realize how many vivosaurs seem to get smarter as they go through more fossil battles and have more fossils integrated with them…oh! There I go again, I've completely lost track of what I was doing here in the first place!"

Creed snickered behind a politely raised hand as Dr. Diggins quickly searched through several pockets in his lab coat.

"Here!" he handed a rectangular pass to Creed, "You've learned all you can at the trial dig site! I'm giving you permission to travel to an honest-to-goodness dig site—Greenhorn Plains!" He grinned brightly, eyes alight. "Talk to Beth at the harbor to go to the dig sites. Good luck, alright?" He waved and started walking away, calling over his shoulder, "Don't excavate anything I wouldn't excavate!"

/\/\/\

Okay, seeing as I accidently erased the original _(and better)_ AN when I edited this chapter-

**A/N**: In the game you work to raise your vivosaurs to be as strong as possible. However, they stop growing after reaching level 12. With four well cleaned fossils you can automatically boost their level to 7 right from the get-go. So that means that in a realistic setting there would have to be _more_ to the process than what is suggested. Here's what I've come up with:

Intelligence: The better cleaned the fossil, the stronger your vivosaur and the smarter it is. Capable of more advanced plans and the stronger the link between fighter and vivosaur becomes. A weaker vivosaur can only do the basic attacks it learns when it acquires fossils, a stronger vivosaur with better quality fossils can adapt and improvise their attacks to fit the situation. Example: A vivosaur with poor quality fossils can only follow simple orders such as: "bite him". A vivosaur with higher quality fossils can do more complex orders, such as Aero's: "Duck under strike, then swing up when it's over you and flip it into the air. Bite when it comes down into range". That's quite a difference, no?

Natures: The smarter the vivosaur becomes the more individual personality traits and quirks can come into light. In the story thus far there are two examples: Aero, who is eager and loyal; and Lethar, who is lazy and vindictive. While it can greatly affect how the vivosaur can fight, having individual natures is mainly a sign of a healthy and well-developed vivosaur.

Now, the reason why Diggins didn't know about this, even though he's the leading expert on vivosaurs, is because most vivosaurs have poorly cleaned fossils, and the few people who have well cleaned fossils either aren't letting him near them or haven't made a big show of it. The common vivosaur acts little better than a computer program, just barely capable of following basic, generic commands in a fight. So of course he's surprised.


	3. Chapter 1: The Missing Medals II

**The Missing Medals II**

_It's nice here._ Creed observed as she walked through Greenhorn Plains. _Wide open spaces, not a building in sight. It looks completely untouched._ A wry chuckle. _The maintenance crew must get paid a large sum to be willing to clean up after all the Fossil Fighters that dig up the grass and dirt._

"Hey, Creed!"

A glance up. Holt walked up with a grin and a wave.

"Good to see you again." He greeted.

"Likewise."

"I thought you'd have gotten here a lot sooner."

_Subtle, Holt, real subtle._ Creed thought with some amusement. "I stopped for lunch before coming here."

A low rumble made Creed quirk an eyebrow as Holt flushed and gripped his stomach. Apparently he had been too impatient to start hunting for fossil rocks to stop and eat.

He coughed and then plastered on a fake smile, notably so due to the continued blush. "I was just on my way to clean some fossils." He jogged past towards the ferry waiting at the docks where fighters got on and off. "I'm sure I'll see you around the island."

Alone again, Creed set to work searching for fossils.

_This is rather therapeutic._ She thought after finding a handful of new fossils. _Track, dig, scan, store. Of course, _A snigger, _all this physical activity is nice too._

"Pardon me."

Creed turned to the speaker, a suit clad man.

"I'm Philip, the excavation advisor from the Fossil Center."

Facing him directly, Creed cocked her head slightly, collapsing her pickaxe and slipping it into her sash.

"I know an area with amazing fossils, if you're interested."

_Something's…off here. _"Really?"

"Yes," a benevolent nod, "It's just over that way," a directive hand gesture, "I'll take you there, but Fossil Battles are strictly prohibited within the area. We can't risk damaging the fossils, can we? So you'll have to hand over your Dino Medals to me before entering."

A slight frown. _Correction, something's _really_ off._

The man was likely a con artist, Creed had run into enough of them back in her home town, but if she left and ignored him then he'd likely con someone else and continue to do so. Aero wouldn't listen to anyone but her and she doubted anyone else could get Lethar to fight, so she could probably risk it.

_A rumble of clashing air currents, brief flashes of confirmatory yellow-oranges and steaks of aggressive red-oranges. Trap. Misdirect._

_Watch and wait, keep an eye on this man._ Creed sent after hearing her vivosaur's opinion.

Holding the medals out to the suspicious man, she followed him to a fenced in section of the plains.

"Thanks for your compliance. You're free to enter. I'll be right here when you're done." The man informed as Creed entered the isolated section. "Amazing and rare fossils await you! Let your sonar lead the way, and dig to your heart's content!" he gave a slightly disturbing chuckle.

_Yeah right. _"Alright, I'll hold you to that." _You're in for a nasty shock if you try something with my vivosaurs._

It didn't even take ten minutes of searching for Creed to confirm her suspicions. Nothing but rocks and old garbage, not a fossil rock to be found.

_A whisper of wind, a faint distant sea of alarmed gray-greens. Creed...!_

She turned, the call was faint, likely due to the distance, but she could still identify it as Aero's.

The entrance to the isolated area was, unsurprisingly yet still suspiciously, void of human presence.

A glint caught her eye and she knelt down, fingers wrapping around rounded metal.

_A joyful gust, a blending of happy yellows splashed with frustrated light reds. Left us…_

If she didn't know better, she'd say Aero was sulking. With a soft chuckle she straightened back up. A sudden, somewhat high pitch voice made her start.

"Hey! Wh-where did he go?"

…_That's a lot of pink…_

The younger girl skidded to a stop in front of Creed and gripped her biceps with an almost crab-like ferocity.

"The guy from the Fossil Center who was here before—where did he go?" words were emphasized with several rather sharp shakes.

Bemused, and somewhat annoyed, Creed simply arched an eyebrow before giving the girl's offending hands a pointed look.

The pinkette let go and stepped back, looking around wildly to try and find the alleged excavation advisor. "I wasn't the only one to hand my Dino Medals over to that guy, was I?" an enraged hiss. "We've all been tricked!"

_She reminds me of a Chihuahua._

"There wasn't a single amazing or rare fossil to be found around here!" Uh-oh, she was working her way up into a rant.

_To flee or not to flee? _

"All I got was a bunch of rusty, dirty old garbage! And to make matters worse, he ran off with my medals!" A pause, and then pink eyes suddenly landed on startled aquamarine, "Wait…"

She stalked forward and grabbed Creed's wrist in an iron grip. She forced it, palm up, with surprising strength. Creed couldn't yank away without hurting her, which she honestly wanted to avoid.

"You've still got your Dino Medals!" she exclaimed in disbelief. _"_How'd you manage that?" There was no small hint of suspicion.

Annoyed and fed up, Creed smoothly twisted her captured wrist and yanked it free, sliding her medals back into her sleeve. "If you _must _know, I found them left on the ground."Creed said smoothly, though with notable annoyance.

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed suddenly, light dawning in her eyes, "I get it. You're a rookie. You're vivosaurs are still pretty weak." That somewhat haughty tone was not especially polite. "That's why he just tossed your Dino Medals on the ground."

Muscle twitched under narrowed eyes. _Let's not be insulting now missy… _

'Missy' didn't seem to notice the look, having turned away with a loud growl. Hands clenched into fists. "But MY vivosaurs were really strong! I was ready for my Level-Up Battle!" A thoughtful look suddenly crossed her face.

"That guy said he worked for the Fossil Center…So I guess that's the place to start." She darted forward, clasping Creed's wrist again and dragging her along. "Come on! Let's get to the Fossil Center!"

"_Excuse me_. 'Let's'? Who said I was coming with you?"

Creed's words fell on deaf ears.

/\/\

"I sure hope you have an explanation for this!"

Startled, Wendy looked from the incensed pink haired girl to the red-head who had been dragged along in her wake. Creed gave her a light shrug.

"Sorry, miss, but I don't understand…Can I help you with something?"

The girl growled loudly, heating up for another rant. "Help me with something?" her fist slammed down on the reception desk. "How about getting back my Dino Medals that your employee stole from me in Greenhorn Plains!"

Taken quite aback by the girl's ferocity, Wendy stuttered "Greenhorn Plains, you say?" she paused a moment to collect herself. "Let me check the duty roster. It'll take just a moment." Without waiting for a response she quickly skittered off to some drawers on the far side of the desk.

The girl fumed impatiently, tapping her foot and crossing her arms in growing ire. It only took a few moments before Wendy came back, a clipboard with several papers on it clasped in her hands.

"That's odd…" she murmured, scanning the paper and the ones beneath it several times. "We don't actually have anyone scheduled for duty in Greenhorn Plains today…"

"Wh-what?" the girl shrieked. Creed flinched at the pitch. "What do you mean? Who stole my medals then?" She yanked the clipboard out of Wendy's hands and looked over it. Seeing nothing of use, she whipped around and stomped her foot, dropping the board and papers as she stormed off a few yards.

Creed rescued the clipboard before it could crash into the ground and silently handed it back to Wendy with an apologetic look.

"This is bad. This is very bad!" the girl spun back to Creed. "This is very bad! We'll have to go talk to the police!"

_Again with the iron grip._ Creed thought in dismay as she was unceremoniously dragged to the doors of the Fossil Center. Glancing back, she sent Wendy a pleading look before exiting the doorway.

"The Police Station is in the Guild Area. Let's go!" the girl declared as she charged down the street, dragging Creed haphazardly behind her.

/\/\

"Is there something wrong?" one of the on duty officers asked as the pair barreled into the station.

"Yes, there's something wrong!" The girl barked.

_Definitely a Chihuahua._ Creed winced. Aero sent sympathetic splashes of distracted blue.

"We need to talk to Captain Bullwort immediately!"

The officer leaned back, slightly taken aback. "Captain Bullwort is in his office…" a demonstrative jab to a door off to their right. "As usual, I'm sure he can help you with whatever problems you have."

"Thank you very much." She marched off to the door, dragging Creed along behind her. "I'll talk to him."

Creed sent a longsuffering look at the officer, who _actually_ flashed her a reverent salute before she was pulled through the doorway.

"Why, exactly, do _I_ have to come along?" Creed demanded irritably. The girl didn't seem to hear her, again, as they walked into the main part of the office.

"Captain!" the girl yelled, running up to the man in question. "Captain Bullwort!"

Creed stumbled at the sudden lack of drag, just narrowly managing to remain on her feet. She shot the girl a reproachful look, which went unseen.

Bullwort stared down at the diminutive girl, not even half his height, before kneeling down to eyelevel. "Ah, what's the matter, young lady?" he asked benevolently with half-closed eyes. "Did someone throw away one of your dolls or something?"

Creed choked. _I like him already._ She thought as she raised a hand to smother laughter.

"Hardly!" the pinkette snapped, all but steaming. "My Dino Medals have been stolen! My _DINO MEDALS_! Without them, do I even count as a fighter?" she drooped, suddenly near tears, before jerking up again. "I need the police to investigate immediately!"

Creed ducked quickly to avoid the swinging limb as the girl pointed towards the door. "The criminal could be out there stealing medals right now!"

Bullwort blinked and straightened up. "Well, that IS serious." He hummed with a frown, "Do you remember what the suspect looked like?" 

The girl frowned in deep concentration. "Yeah, um…" light dawned in her eyes. "He has eyes like a lambeosaurus…and his mouth was exactly like an anatotitan's!"

Bullwort and Creed both blinked.

_Whaaat?_

The police chief sighed. "Finding this criminal might be tougher than I thought…"

"Wha—? But I had _ten_ Dino Medals!" The girl wailed, bursting into tears. "Do you know how long it took me to get them? I was going to take my level-up battle!" Tears suddenly vanished and she spun around with a loud growl. "I won't stand for this!"

Creed and Bullwort exchanged glances.

"_Is she always like this?"_ the police chief seemed to ask.

A shrug. _"Beats me."_

"Oh, sorry!" Creed jumped as the girl suddenly remembered she was there. "Here I am dragging you all over the island and I haven't even introduced myself! I'm Rosie!"

A twitch. "Creed." She ground out. _About time you realized it._ She thought peevishly.

"You're name's Creed?" a bright smile, "Nice to meet you! I'd be really grateful if you helped me look for that thief."

A loud snort. "Do I have a choice?" Creed asked sarcastically.

"Wait a minute!" Bullwort suddenly spoke up. "If you suddenly got a bunch of brand-new vivosaurs, you'd want to try them out, right? I would think the criminal is heading someplace where Fossil Battles are fought."

"Someplace like…" again eyes lit up with dawning, "Fossil Stadium! That's it! Thank you, Captain Bullwort!" she grabbed Creed under the arm again and took off towards the door. "Let's get to Fossil Stadium!"

_This is becoming annoyingly monotonous…_

/\/\

"Hey! That guy has my vivosaurs, the rat!" Rosie yelled as she and Creed walked into the stadium for Creed's battle.

"Don't worry—those vivosaurs aren't my best ones. You should be able to win easily. Remember, you HAVE to win!"

Without so much as a by-your-leave—not that Rosie seemed familiar with the concept—Creed was shoved into the sandy arena as Rosie quickly ran back down the hall, undoubtedly so she could watch from the stands.

With a low growl, Creed sent out Aero and Lethar to confront the opposing spinax and v-raptor.

On the plus side, Creed didn't have to force Lethar to wake up.

_Let's just get this over with._ She thought darkly.

"V-raptor: Veloci-Claw on Spinax!" her opponent yelled. "Spinax: Spinax Fang on Goyle!"

_You know what to do, Aero._ Creed sent as the v-raptor rigidly leapt at the larger theropod.

Aero ducked at the last moment, making the v-raptor overshoot him. The swift thief flailed in alarm at the sudden lack of a target, before Aero swung his head back and flung it high into the air. It reached the apex of its ascent and then fell helplessly back to the stadium ground. It didn't get a chance to make contact as a powerful tail swung around to intercept it. Caught directly in the middle, it was slammed brutally into the ground. It vanished back into its Dino Medal.

She turned her attention to the slower enemy spinax as it lunged at Lethar. _Something's wrong with it…_ she noticed. _It's movements seem to forced and rigid._ To Lethar, she sent, _Body Axe._

Repeating the motion from the trial dig site, Lethar swung sharply around on its front legs. Its armored tail knocked the spinax's legs right out from under it, sending it crashing into the sand. It didn't have any time to recover before a spaded tail collided with its face.

"Finish it." Creed intoned flatly.

Aero loomed over the other spinax.

_Its tail._ Creed suggested.

_Mischievous whirlwinds amidst almost vindictive red-oranges._

Aero sunk his teeth into the other's heavy tail and, with amazing ease, swung it around in a wide arc before letting go.

It would likely have flown a record distance…if the stadium wall hadn't been only a few yards away.

With a scoff, Creed recalled her vivosaurs, Lethar already asleep again, and marched out of the arena.

"You did it, Creed!" Rosie cheered as Creed returned to the lobby. Creed didn't do more than glower darkly at the floor as her defeated opponent came in from another doorway.

Rosie immediately stormed up to him. "I'll take my vivosaur's back now, thank you very much."

"Whoa, whoa. Hold up." The boy, a nametag read 'P.B. Jay', held up his hands defensively. Rosie's glare intensified and Jay took an unconscious step back. "I bought these Dino Medals with my own money."

Anger fading abruptly, Rosie cocked her head in confused suspicion. "You _bought_ them?" she echoed. "Are you _sure_ you didn't steal them from me?"

A confused blink. "Steal them?" A negative shake. "No, of course not! What's going on here?"

"The vivosaurs you were just battling with are the very ones that were stolen from me in Greenhorn Plains!" Rosie suddenly stepped right up to Jay. "Who did you buy those Dino Medals from?"

"I bought them from a guy named Medal-Dealer Joe." Jay answered quickly. "Can't miss him—he's got eyes like a lambeosaurus."

Creed blinked slowly.

Rosie leapt up victoriously. "That's the guy!" she yelled. "He calls himself Medal-Dealer Joe, huh? Do you know where we can find him?"

An apologetic shake. "I don't know where he is right now, but I first heard about him at the Fossil Guild."

"The Fossil Guild. Got it. We'll check it out." She took three steps towards the door before stopping and turning back, albeit somewhat sheepishly. "Oh…I know you're a victim here too, and I feel bad, but would you mind giving me my Dino Medals back?"

"Of course!' Jay offered the medals. "I never would have bought them if I thought they were stolen property…And something will have to be done about that conman Medal-Dealer Joe." He turned and walked away, calling, "I'll talk to the police."

"Okay, Creed." Rosie grabbed Creed's now bruising arm once more, "let's get over to the Fossil Guild—hey!"

Creed calmly twisted out of the pinkette's grasp.

"YOU go to the Fossil Guild." She said sharply. "I'M going to clean the fossils I got. Meet me at the Fossil Center when you have the information."

Spinning on the ball of her foot, she stormed away.

/\/\

"There he is."

"Gotcha. Medal-Dealer Joe!" Rosie bellowed, angrily pointing at the culprit. "Or should I say Medal-_Stealer_ Joe? You should've known I'd find you! Now hand over my Dino Medals!"

Creed barely managed to restrain from smacking her head, barely.

"_Is she for real?"_ the slightly taken aback thief's expression seemed to say.

"_Unfortunately."_ Was Creed's rueful grimace.

A lab coat flew into the air.

_Well whaddya know? You _can_ do a speed change._ Creed eyed the newly revealed blonde hair and dark eyes, no longer hidden by the disguise.

"What," Joe said innocently, "these medals here?" he flipped one like a coin and jeered, "I won them fair and square, squirt…I guess the only way to settle this is a Fossil Battle. Beat me, and I'll give them back to you."

Creed blinked.

"Hear that, Creed?" Rosie chirped several yards behind the other girl. "He's all yours. Get him!"

A disbelieving glance over shoulder.

"What? You can't expect _me_ to fight! He's got all my good ones!"

Eye twitching, Creed flipped her medals into the air, an action mirrored by Joe. Before Joe stood a Goyo and two new vivosaurs.

A green spinosaur-like vivosaur roughly the size of Aero, called a metria, and a smaller pink theropod, called a shanshan, which was only a little over three meters long.

_Ready, Chicane?_ Creed glanced at her newest vivosaur, a v-raptor.

_Quick bursts of rushing air amidst confirmatory yellows and excited yellow-orange starbursts. Whenever you are._

_Lethar?_ Creed was somewhat amused to get a generic 'whatever' sensation from the lazy goyle. She didn't have to ask Aero, who trumpeted a loud battle cry. _Go!_

The trio lunged towards the opposition.

"Goyo: Rock Head!"

Turf exploded as the thick-skulled lizard shot forward like a rocket.

_There's no stutter…_ Creed noticed. "Aero!"

The spinax braced and swung a claw upward—

—and _missed_ as the goyo changed direction at the last moment and landed by Aero's flank_._

_What?_

With a bark, the goyo slammed into the side of Aero's head. Creed flinched at the astonished starbursts of white stars that flashed through Aero's connection.

A crash. Aero lay stunned, Creed stared in frozen shock.

"Metria: Green Fang! Shanshan: Shan Combo!"

The shanshan acted first, diving towards Lethar.

"Brace!" Creed called.

Lethar collapsed his front legs and tucked his head in as the shanshan slammed into him and then retreated with a double kick. It didn't get far, as Lethar's spade tail swung around and intercepted it mid-jump. The theropod went crashing into several large boulders.

_A roaring gale, showers of alarmed reds over fearful dark green. Watch out!_ Both Aero and Chicane broadcasted.

A shadow fell over her.

_What the—?_

Fangs crushed dirt as Creed leapt away from the attacking metria.

_He's aiming for _me! She realized in alarm, glancing at Joe.

The other was now perched on the goyo's back, dark eyes studying her both intently and thoughtfully.

_He wants to play? Fine. Let's play. _"Chicane!"

The swift thief ran by her and Creed grabbed a fistful of long fur before swinging up onto his back. Using her hands, buried in the fur of Chicane's shoulders, and nudging his sides with her heels, she directed him.

"Aero! Lethar! Watch your backs!" she shouted. "Spinax Combo!"

"Metria Combo!"

The two spine lizards collided head on, bashing their heads together, before beginning to grapple.

"Shanshan: Shan Combo again!"

The pink theropod burst from the rubble, again charging Lethar. The goyle quickly repeated the same defensive posture he had before. His tail swung forward—

—and missed as the shanshan mimicked the goyo's earlier maneuver and darted to the side before diving for Lethar's exposed flank.

"Toxic Combo!" Creed yelled as Chicane rammed into the shanshan's side, tearing his claws in a downward arc before kicking off in a back flip, driving his sickle toes in deep as he did so and then ripping them out.

"Shanshan!" Strange, Joe actually sounded both alarmed and concerned as the small theropod crashed heavily into the ground.

It shuddered, before forcing itself back to its feet, its wounds a sickening green in color.

"Poisoned." Creed realized with some satisfaction. That would keep it otherwise indisposed.

"You'll pay for that!" Joe growled. "Rock Shot!"

If possible, this leap was even faster than the goyo's Rock Head attack.

"Pivot_." _Creed ordered. _Then kick out._

By the bare skin of its teeth, Chicane pivoted away from the Rock Head attack. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Joe and Creed's eyes met—_Why are his eyes glinting?—_before a powerful kick from Chicane sent both the goyo and Joe skidding across the dirt.

A flash of movement.

"Rear!" Creed shouted, head whipping around.

Muscles tensed and sprang as the shanshan's fangs sunk into the space they had just vacated.

_Uh-oh…_

Joe and the goyo were in the air again, on a collision course with them. Stuck mid-air, Chicane couldn't avoid it using the same strategy as before.

A sudden pulse, just shy of painful, coursed through Creed's body like the rumble of a too-close jet engine or a deep bass played too loud on a speaker. Only with no audible sound, just the sense of a heavy drum beat booming intensely within her chest.

_He can hear vivosaur's too!_ Creed realized eyes wide. That's_ how their coordinating their attacks!_ _Chicane, move!_

The swift thief twisted impossibly in the air and again time seemed to slow. The goyo passed just beneath them, missing by the span of a hair.

Chicane landed lightly on the ground as Creed tried to control her frantic heart.

_This…is fun!_ "Re-group!"

Aero tore away from the metria and slid protectively in front of Creed and Chicane. There was an exhilarated glint in his green eyes. Through the connection a raging gale roared through a maelstrom of passionate reds and aggressive red-oranges.

Lethar waddled up to Aero's starboard flank, looking thoroughly annoyed; an expression complemented by a whirlwind of frustrated reds and contemptuous violet-reds flashing through the link.

"Go!" Joe bellowed, his mount shooting forward in a Rock Shot attack.

"Toxic Combo." Creed intoned, gripping long fur as Chicane charged forward to meet them.

At the collision point, Chicane _ducked_. As the goyo overshot them, he leapt upward. Sharp claws dug into thick hide as the Veloci Claw part of the combo connected. Thief and plunder were flung up.

Tensing, Chicane sprang, swinging his claws upward, he dug his killing claw deeply into the goyo before kicking back off, landing like a cat on the ground.

In a flash, the goyo vanished back into its Dino Medal and Joe went sprawling heavily across the ground.

_A triumphant spiral of warm currents, starbursts of victorious gold._

Creed glanced over at Aero as he slammed the metria brutally into the ground, forcing it back into its Dino Medal.

_A vindictive gale_, _a flash of almost malicious red-violet,_ echoed down the link as Lethar slammed his tail into the shanshan's skull just as brutally as Aero had slammed the metria.

"You did it! You're awesome, Creed!" Rosie cheered, rushing to retrieve her fallen medals. "I'll take my Dino Medals back now, you big creep!"

"Gosh darn it!" Joe spat, covered in sweat and dirt as he forced himself shakily back to his feet. "You haven't seen the last of me! You'd better watch out, 'cause I'll get you again!" He spun around and fled—

—right into Captain Bullwort's awaiting grasp. "Think again, Joe!" he snapped, slapping a pair of cuffs on the criminal's wrists. "You're under arrest!" A glance at the two girls. "We couldn't have caught this thief without the help of you two. My sincere thanks."

Creed wearily got off Chicane, and then recalled the three vivosaurs.

A sudden wave of vertigo washed over her and she swayed.

"Creed!"

Hard ground rushed up to meet her.

/\/\

Creed became aware of something coarse, but sweet, in her mouth. Reflexively, she chewed once and then swallowed.

"Feeling any better?"

A glassy blink. Cyan eyes stared down in concern.

_This seems…rather familiar…_ Creed thought, feeling Dr. Diggin's arm supporting her shoulders. _We're still…in the Greenhorn Plains?_

"Creed?" Dr. Diggin's spoke softly, bringing Creed's mind back to the present.

Another blink, much clearer this time, and then Creed ravenously devoured the rest of the granola bar. Hardly a moment later a second granola bar was offered. She paused a moment in some surprise before taking that one as well.

"Creed!" Creed jumped slightly, "Are you alright?" Rosie wailed, somehow having managed to remain silent until that point.

_Pity she hadn't remained quiet._ Creed mused as she took a third granola bar. "What happened?"

"You just fell forward and didn't move! I was so scared!"

_That was helpful._ Creed thought sarcastically with a mental roll of her eyes.

Questioning aquamarine met concerned cyan as Creed managed to sit up under her own strength.

"You overexerted yourself in the battle." Dr. Diggins explained. "Not a surprise, really. That was one of the most intense fights I've ever seen that didn't involve Saurhead or the Fossil Samurai." A short pause. "Medal-Dealer Joe was very skilled to have been able to maintain that much control over three vivosaurs he hadn't revived himself."

"That creep messed with my vivosaurs!" Rosie declared crossly. "He integrated arm fossils into them and then replaced the skull fossils I had used to revive them in the first place!"

Creed gave a noncommittal grunt. _Wouldn't that be a _good_ thing?_

Brace. Find center of balance. Stand up.

Dr. Diggins placed a steadying hand on her shoulder as Creed swayed slightly.

"Would you mind coming with me to the Fossil Center?" Dr. Diggins requested. A pause. "There'll be more food if you come." He offered temptingly.

A blink, then a barking laugh. "You sure know the way to a girl's heart, sir." A teasing smirk. "Through their stomach." A thoughtful pause. "Alright, I don't see why not." _Maybe a few questions of my own will get answered in the process._

"But Creed!" Rosie exclaimed. "What about the Level-Up Battles?"

A blank look.

"Captain Bullwort told me they were starting today! If you succeed you become a level _2_ Fossil Fighter and a clearance card to a new Dig Site!"

A snort. "I'm hardly in any condition for a battle right now." Rosie opened her mouth to argue, "I'll get something to eat, answer Dr. Diggin's questions, and then go enter. Don't worry. I won't miss the Level-Up Battles."


	4. Chapter 1: The Missing Medals III

**The Missing Medals III**

"So…why did I collapse?" Creed queried around a large meat sandwich.

"Your vivosaurs used up to much of your vitality." Was the offhand response as the scientist jotted down observations in his notebook. The array of scanners that had been used to non-invasively scanned Creed's condition sat off to the side.

Dr. Diggins glanced up from his notes and noticed Creed's blank look. Sheepishly, he elaborated. "Sorry, it's when they siphon off the energy your body naturally produces as a source of nourishment in place of food and water you see."

A blink. Creed quietly filed away that bit of information for future thought. "Then why didn't Joe feel the same effects?"

"Because he's been here for just over a year, according to our database," a nonchalant shrug, "His body has had time to grow accustomed to the drain, so handling multiple low level vivosaurs isn't too difficult for him…and apparently more than enough time to flawlessly handle other's vivosaurs…though that still doesn't make sense…vivosaurs don't normally respond well if being commanded by someone who didn't revive them—"

"He's like me." Creed interrupted, finishing the last of her sandwich, as she remembered the strange sensation she had felt when she and Joe had fought.

A blink. "Pardon?"

"He can connect with vivosaurs, like I can."

"What makes you believe that?"

A pause. "I…felt him, I suppose would be the closest term, when we were fighting…a brief pulse of intense pressure within my chest, causing my whole body to tremble… It was…very strange…" a weak shrug. "It's hard to describe, sir."

"Another person on this island who can connect with vivosaurs on a similar level to you? Fascinating…" A contemplative glint entered his eyes.

_We're getting off track…_ "Tell me more about how vivosaurs 'siphon' vitality from their fighters."

Dr. Diggins snapped back to the present. "Oh, right! It's really an interesting phenomenon, though I don't fully understand yet. You see, a vivosaur has only a limited amount of energy it can use to manifest outside their Dino Medals. When levels drop too low, like in a prolonged or strenuous battle, they start to access their fighter's vitality in a steady stream so as to remain outside their medals.

"This typically manifests as fatigue in the Fossil Fighter, though high level vivosaurs have been known to cause different symptoms, but I'll get to that later. Generally, the adrenaline rush most fighters feel in a Fossil Battle hides the siphoning symptoms.

"When a vivosaur returns to their medal and their fighter retrieves it then they get rushed with vitality, directly from their Fighter, to replace their spent reserves. Not unlike dropping a sponge into a pail of water. This is what you experienced back on the plains, the sudden backlash of energy loss. Joe didn't experience this because he didn't have the chance to retrieve the medals."

Creed cocked her head. "So the strain could have caused permanent damage?"

"If they had had any more fossils integrated in, or if you had been a little less strong willed and physically fit you likely would have been knocked into a coma. As it were, you would have simply slept for a few days if I hadn't supplied you with granola bars made specifically for giving emergency nutrients to fossil fighters in such situations." Was the matter-a-fact response.

_A duel whirlwind of horrified blends of violet and green and regretful violet-blues. We are sorry, Creed._ Aero and Chicane broadcasted.

There was an unexpected flash as Chicane appeared of his own accord. Distressed gold eyes stared at Creed as Chicane nudged her arm with his muzzle and whimpered. A little taken aback, Creed reached forward and put a comforting hand on the side of the swift thief's cheek, stroking soft fur. Creed looked back to Dr. Diggins, who was watching the interaction with surprised intrigue.

"Please continue." 

"Alright. The more fossils a vivosaur has integrated, the greater reserves of vitality they gain. Unfortunately, it also means that the amount of vitality they need to siphon off their fighter also increases. This can be extremely hazardous to the fighter if they aren't strong enough to handle the drain…I know this for fact, as I witnessed it happen before. "

Here he paused for a breath as Creed leaned forward with keen interest. Chicane wrapped around behind her, draping his clawed arms over her shoulders in an almost possessive manner, and chirred somewhat eagerly.

"It happened before Vivosaur Island was opened to the public. One of the Fossil Fighters, he would eventually become known as Saurhead, that had hired to help handle the newly revived Vivosaurs, recovered a T-rex skull and the complete set of bones. It was the first T-rex fossil we had ever found on Vivosaur Island.

"He managed to clean it, though only barely because the fossil rock was extremely hard while the fossil itself was extremely fragile, which is odd because a T-rex skull can supposedly crack _diamonds_," a cough, "Anyway, he took it to one of the testing facilities in the Fossil Center basement after it was revived. We were going to do some tests to see how strong it was with since the low grade scanners we keep here in the cleaning room only do basic scans, but even those had malfunctioned from an overload when trying to get a reading on T-rex.

A soft sigh. "It was the strongest attack-class, fire-attribute vivosaur we had ever discovered… scratch that, the strongest _attack-class vivosaur_ period. To this day we have yet to find a stronger one, but I digress. Everything went well until the Fighter released T-rex." A shudder of remembrance. "It went berserk, attacking anything and everything in sight, the Fighter couldn't control it. It took almost a score of our strongest water-attribute vivosaurs to finally force it back into its Dino Medal. But the damage to the building wasn't the worst of what its havoc had caused, despite the destruction of some very expensive equipment. No, it was what the backlash of that power had done to the Fossil Fighter.

"All his muscles had been badly strained and many of his tendons had almost been snapped by some unseen force, and that was only the _lightest_ of the wounds." Another shudder. "The energy demand had been so extreme that he had lost almost 10% of his body mass. That may not seem like a lot, but loosing that _much_ that _fast_ nearly killed him. If he hadn't been taken to the ER in time we would have lost him. And T-rex had only been rampaging for…maybe ten minutes at the most. A percent of body mass lost per minute."

"What happened after that? Did the Fighter say what had happened?" Creed pressed, her eyes wide. Chicane echoed her question with a querying chirp.

A nod, "He said it was like being pressed in on all sides at first, and then it was like he had gotten caught up in a current. He blanked out only a couple minutes after the rampage started and his next memories were of waking up in a recovery room a couple weeks later." A wry chuckle. "He…took it as a personal challenge. After he had recovered enough to be released from the hospital he took off for 'private training'. I don't know what he did during that time, he's refused to say, but when he came back he had tamed T-rex and was calling himself 'Saurhead'. To date, he is the strongest Fossil Fighter on the island, the reigning master."

There was a long silence as Creed digested this new information. Before long, a question began nagging at her.

"How else do vivosaur's get nutrients? It can't just be from the fossil fighters, they wouldn't get enough and you'd have people passing out from hunger left and right."

"Very true." a nod, "I've found that they also get nutrients from sunlight, both when outside their medal and inside. It takes longer, however, for them to get a sufficient amount, but sunlight lasts longer once it has stored up. Sort of like the difference in nutrients taken from body fat, and nutrients taken from muscle."

_Well, that answers several questions at once._ Including the question from when she had been basking outside her hotel room with Aero's Dino Medal on the table beside her.

_A warm breeze, a lazy current of contented yellows. Sun is nice._ Aero sent almost dreamily.

"Oh my, where has the time gone?" the sudden declaration made Creed jump slightly. "You'll have to hurry if you want to enter today's Level-Up Battles."

A glance at the clock confirmed the scientist's statement. It was getting quite late.

She stood up, returning a somewhat resistant Chicane to his medal and turned towards the door.

"Hold on a second, Creed."

Pausing, she glanced back questioningly.

"Here. This is a little prototype I've been developing." The scientist gripped Creed's port side wrist and strapped on an odd apparatus, almost as long as her forearm. "This is to carry your Dino Medals, or, at least five of them. You put the three you use to fight on upper part, and the two you don't use on the under arm part." To demonstrate he slid Aero, Lethar, and Chicane's medals into an open slit just behind the back of her hand.

All three quickly vanished inside and reappeared under three glass displays that were spaced along the back of the strange gadget.

"When you are about to battle, just point it in front of you and release them like you normally would. The disks will fly out in a wing formation before the vivosaurs come out completely. If you want to just take one out, maybe to exchange it for another, you twist the glass display it's under and press down." He quickly did so as an example and Chicane's medal popped back out. "Now, vivosaurs you want to keep with you, but not as your main fighters, you put on the bottom side, they'll get stronger with your main trio, and will be close at hand," a snigger at the pun, "in case you want to switch them."

Creed studied it curiously. "Thank you, it'll certainly make things more convenient." _Now, to the Level-up Battles._

/\/\

_Onward and upward._ Creed thought with some amusement, striding down the hallway to the arena.

She had been fortunate enough to make the last group of participants for the Level-up Battles. The fossil cleaning test had been simple, though she had taken her time until she was almost the last one in the cleaning room. Now she was ready to face the Level 1 Master assigned to test her.

A blink, and then a smile crossed her face as she saw her opponent. _Déjà vu._

"Hello, Creed." Wendy, the Fossil Center receptionist greeted, "I'll be testing you to see if you're qualified to become a Level 2 Fighter."

"I look forward to it." A polite dip of her head.

"I won't be taking it easy on you, so give me everything you've got."

_I doubt you can handle 'everything I've got'._

A confirmative nod and the two walked out into the arena.

Once in her place, Creed slipped into a kickboxing foot stance. Bringing up her portside arm, bracing it at the elbow with her starboard hand, and pointing it at Wendy, she called her vivosaurs.

The three glowing disk-like medals shot out in a loose arrow formation as the vivosaurs appeared. Aero at point, Chicane on the portside flank, with Lethar on the starboard side.

Wendy's vivosaurs appeared a moment later. A v-raptor, a shanshan, and a goyo.

_Lightweights, but quick on their feet._ Creed observed. _All the same, this will be simple after fighting Joe._

"Goyo: Rock Head on Spinax!" Wendy ordered.

An explosion of sand and the goyo shot towards Aero.

Vivosaur and Fighter both snorted. _You know what to do._ Creed sent.

Almost lazily, Aero leaned forward until his head touched the ground, and then swung up sharply as the goyo overshot him. The thick-skulled lizard flew high, and then fell towards the dirt. It was welcomed with a sharp Body Axe from Lethar and dispersed back into its Dino Medal.

"Chicane: Deal with your counterpart." Creed intoned.

The swift thief leapt at his marginally smaller double.

"V-raptor: Toxic Combo, quick!" Wendy countered.

The v-raptor leapt up to intercept Chicane, intending to strike with its lethal killing claws. It missed, however, as Chicane tucked into a roll mid-air and slammed his tail down hard on the other's head, sending it crashing into the ground.

Or it _would_ have crashed into the ground, had Aero not intercepted with a Spinax Fang, incapacitating that vivosaur as well.

"Sh-shanshan: Shan Fang on Goyle!" Wendy ordered, astonished at how easily Creed's vivosaurs were brushing hers off.

"Lethar." Creed called almost pleasantly. The tank-like vivosaur snorted before collapsing its front legs and tucking its head in.

The small theropod probably broke several teeth as it clamped down on armor-like hide. If the bite hadn't done it, then Lethar's spade-like tail swinging around and nailing it in the side of the muzzle certainly did.

"End this, Aero." Creed called as the shanshan hit the sand.

Aero loomed over the smaller theropod before ramming his shoulder into it, driving it deep into the sand.

A weak gurgling cry, before the shanshan joined its comrades back in its Dino Medal state.

Creed brushed a loose strand of hair from her eye with a bored snort, echoed by lazy swirls of bored browns from Chicane and Aero. Lethar just went back to sleep.

/\/\

"You leveled-up in one try? Wow, Creed!"

Creed looked up from her new Level 2 Fighter's License as Rosie pranced over to her. An older man followed from behind.

"I failed pretty bad on my cleaning test. When I finally passed, I got crushed in my Fossil Battle; for some reason, my vivosaurs wouldn't respond to me." She frowned at the floor. "I'm sure it was something that Medal-Stealer Joe did to them." Pink eyes looked up again. "I'm going to try again now. But first, let me introduce you to my grandfather." She motioned to the older man behind her. "He's a really important man."

"How do you do, Creed?" The man greeted, white mustache and bearded curving up into a smile. "I'm Mr. Richmond."

_Did he say 'Richmond'?_ Creed straightened up.

"I heard about the incident with the medal dealer." Mr. Richmond continued. "I appreciate you looking after my granddaughter. Thank you." He stared fondly down at Rosie. "I hope you and Rosetta will be good friends. You two seem to work well together.

Creed barely restrained a snort. _Work well together? Please, I did all the work._

"Come by and visit me whenever you'd like, by the way. I'm in the Richmond Building over in the Guild Area.

With a polite dip of his head, the older man walked away.

Rosie skipped passed Creed, throwing one more wave over her shoulder before running towards the arena for her re-do Fossil Battle.

Creed shook her head in exasperation, but could not restrain a somewhat fond smile that worked its way across her lips. Then, without another thought, she returned to her hotel room where she fell asleep as soon as she dropped on top of her covers, exhausted.

Because of this, she was unaware when Chicane let himself out of his medal again, and curled up partially on top of her like a big furry blanket.

/\/\/\

**A/N**: On Vivosaur Island people ranging anywhere from elementary school children to the elderly are capable of becoming Fossil Fighters and acquiring vivosaurs. Vivosaurs are like giant attack dogs you can carry around in your pocket and never have to worry about feeding or having to care for like any other pet. Sounds too good to be true, things like that _don't exist_. It simply Is. Not. Possible, you _cannot_ get something from nothing. Take Full Metal Alchemist for a random example, the alchemists have incredible potential, but with everything they do is a cost and follows the rules of 'The Equivalent of the Exchange'.

So, logically, there must be some type of safe guard, a limit involved when using vivosaurs. So, let's start with the obvious. Their source of nourishment. All the feats they pull off have to cost massive amounts of energy. So the question is, 'where do they get it?' My solution: From their Fighter. While the vivosaur takes any damage inflicted upon it, the energy consumption used to manifest outside its medal and fight come directly from their Fighter's hide. Almost literally in this case.

The longer a vivosaur is out on the field, the greater the drain. The same can be said for the attacks they use. That would _also_ explain why there were never any vivosaurs simply wandering about. Not all of them are big after all, some are not even three feet long.

Also, on a side-not involving the pulsing sensation Creed felt when fighting Medal-Dealer Joe. Think of it like what happens when two different sonar get close enough to have their pulses cross as they scanned the same area. It was pretty much like that, only since it is more of a feeling sensation than a visual representation, Creed _felt_ Joe's signal bounce of hers rather than _saw_ it.


	5. Chapter 2: Digadig Village I

**Chapter 2  
Digadig Village I  
**

"Medal-Dealer Joe Arrested!"

_Found guilty of fraud and theft,_

_Medal Dealer Joe stole Dino Medals_

_From a rookie Fighter._

_His arrest is largely thanks to_

_the hard work of Creed, last_

_edition's featured Fighter._

_An impressive Fossil Battle victory_

_Over Joe speaks volumes of this new_

_Fighter's explosion onto the scene._

Creed snorted softly as she put down her copy of the "Vivosaur Tribune", the newspaper of Vivosaur Island.

_A wisp of questioning pale orange. Something, funny?_ Chicane looked up sleepily with a small chirr.

"No, it's nothing." Creed reached back and stoked the swift thief's furry neck as she leaned back against him.

Yellow eyes studied her curiously before Chicane lay his head back down on the veranda floor. Creed continued scratching it absentmindedly as she closed her eyes to enjoy the sun.

They'd bask for a few minutes more, and then get on with their day.

/\/\

"Excuse me, Ms Peregrine?"

Tick of annoyance under her eye, Creed paused mid-step and turned to face Dimitri as he approached her. "Yes?"

A heavy-looking leather string pouch was presented. Mystified, Creed accepted it and looked inside. She blanched at the gold engraved coins that lay within.

"Captain Bullwort dropped it off for you last night. It's your reward for apprehending that Medal-Dealer Joe character."

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

A pause.

"If you don't mind my suggesting, ma'am," Creed glanced up at the hotel manager, "There is a man down at the Fossil Guild that upgrades equipment if you have the money."

"Upgrades equipment?"

"Yes ma'am. He can increase the range of your sonar, mending the flaw of mistaking graphite rock for a Fossil Rock, along with magnifying the potency of the sonar so you pick up more types of Fossil Rocks, and those are just for the sonar. There are also upgrades for your Fossil Case and stronger cleaning tools available as well."

Creed blinked, then nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you. I'll go do that." She slipped the bag of gold coins into her sleeve and walked out.

/\/\

At the sound of someone entering the shop, Straus looked up with a smile.

"Welcome to my shop," the entire greeting was completely second nature, "the one and only—wait, I don't think you've been here before!"

The customer, a red-head girl in some kind of Japanese clothing, nodded. "I was told I could upgrade my tools here. Am I in the right place?"

_Ah, that's usually what novices come here for initially. _"Yes, we stock a number of items and equipment upgrades useful to the Fighters on the island. I also carry cleaning tools and a variety of other…unique items."

"I'd like to upgrade my sonar, please." She pulled the designated equipment out of her _sleeve_, of all places, and handed it over.

_It looks brand new._ He observed, taking the sonar, _Probably hasn't been a fighter more than a day or so at the most. She likely doesn't have enough gold for even the cheapest upgrade yet._

"There are three different part types, each with different benefits." He handed the customer a pamphlet listing the different upgrades available, along with their prices. "There are two upgrade levels for each of these parts…But I've got to do the first upgrade before I can do the second." An apologetic look.

The customer studied the pamphlet, mentally tallying up the price, before looking up again. "I'll take both upgrades for monitor."

A skeptical look. "You saw the prices, right? Can a novice like you afford it?"

A clatter of muffled metal coins.

"I think I can manage." The customer smirked as Straus gaped at the large gold pouch.

/\/\

"Hello, Creed." Beth greeted cheerfully as the fighter approached.

"Beth." Creed dipped her head politely.

"Off to Knotwood Forest then?" a confirming nod. "There are a people known as the Digadig tribe that has been living in Knotwood Forest for a long time now. They speak a strange language, but I understand they're a very kind and honest people." She smiled. "It's always nice to know something about the place you're going, isn't it? Have a nice trip!"

Creed spent most of the boat ride thinking about the information Beth had shared before filing it away for future reference.

/\/\

_The improvements are amazing._

The amount of area she could check at once had been increased three fold. It made locating fossil rocks much more convenient. She had even found a couple of those Jewel Rocks that Bea had mentioned back in the Trial Dig Site. Oddly enough, every time she found one another Fossil Fighter had appeared to challenge her for it, despite the fact that no one was ever in sight beforehand. It was both perplexing and agitating. It was like they were jumping out of the woodwork!

"Oh, hey there!"

What was it with people and suddenly appearing behind her? Honestly!

Creed turned and waved. "Hello, Holt."

"It's you again!" the boy exclaimed needlessly. "Take a look at this! I upgraded my sonar's monitor size. Now I can detect a bigger area! Nice, huh?"

Quirking an eyebrow, Creed displayed her own sonar.

"Sweet! Looks like you had the same idea I did." A bright grin. "Anyhoo, I'll be heading out to the Center now for a bit of cleaning. See ya around!"

And then he was gone.

_Always on the move, that one._ Creed noted as she continued on.

/\/\

"This area is currently off-limits. I can't let you pass."

"Why not?"

Creed's head jerked up at the familiar voice. _Oh no. _

"I'm super sorry, but it's just my job to warn people that they can't pass. I don't know anything more. My boss was like, 'The area's off-limits, so don't let people through,' and I was like, 'Okay, boss'." The apologetic gate attendant explained to Rosie.

_If I walk away now, maybe she won't notice me._

"Creed!" Rosie exclaimed, turning and grinning brightly.

_So much for that idea…_

She got the distinct impression that Chicane and Aero were sniggering at her, though all she got from the links were suspiciously flat winds and colors.

"Creed, you've GOT to hear this." A frustrated look. "This guy just told me the area past here is off-limits and that I can't pass. What could that be about?" an excited gleam. "Is it a secret? Dangerous? Both? I REALLY want to get in there now! ...You know what?" she sent a dark look in the direction of the attendant. "I've had enough of this nonsense! We'll get to the bottom of this. Let's ask my grandfather! Come on, Creed!"

"Hey! Let go!" _Again with the dragging_.

/\/\

"Well, well. Rosie, Creed!" Mr. Richmond greeted happily as his favorite granddaughter and her new friend came into his office.

_Uh-oh, _he thought, _Rosie looks determined. What happened?_ "You didn't lose your medals again…did you?" he asked, fearing the worst.

Rosie shook her head.

_Thank goodness. _He gave a small sigh of relief.

"Grandpa, can I ask you something?"

A blink, then Richmond nodded. _What could be the trouble this time?_ He wondered.

"We need to get deeper into Knotwood Forest, but it's off-limits. They won't let us in!"

"Knotwood Forest?" Richmond repeated. Nothing serious then, that was a relief. "Why was I thinking about that recently? Oh, I remember! Dr. Diggins said something about it…What was it…?"

A frown. Unfortunately he couldn't remember what Diggin's had told him. What, with everything he had on his plate, remembering something under Diggin's jurisdiction was almost impossible. It was a wonder he even remembered to eat on time.

"You know, you should just talk to Diggins. He seems to know everything happening around here these days." The scientist had wandered into the office more than a few times to talk about completely random going-ons of the island. In fact, he could probably give the Info Clerk a run for his money.

"So we should ask Dr. Diggins?" Rosie clarified with a frown. "I don't know… He looked pretty busy the last time I saw him."

_When is he _not _busy?_ Was Richmond's somewhat amused thought. It was a wonder that the scientist remained as energetic and enthusiastic as he did with the constant weight of responsibility.

"You're right, he's usually very busy." _Though, come to think of it, the good doctor could use a break. _"But I'll bet he'd make time for you if you brought a gift…" a growing smile. "Come to think of it, Dr. Diggins has a weakness for Dino Cakes. They sell Dino Cakes at the shop."

"Dino Cakes." Rosie parroted. "Got it!" she turned to her new friend. "Let's go buy some and take them to Dr. Diggins."

To Richmond's amusement, his granddaughter grabbed the other girl under the arm and dragged her away at a fast pace. The girl sent him an exaggerated eye roll and a longsuffering look before being dragged out of the office.

The older man chuckled.

/\/\

"Hey, weren't you just in here a couple hours ago?" Straus asked as Rosie and Creed entered the shop.

A shrug. "I have apparently become a drag-along." she said in a flat monotone.

A blink, and then Straus laughed at the girl's word play. Rosie looked between them questioningly before speaking up.

"We'd like a pack of Dino Cakes, please." She stated.

"It's your lucky day." Straus laughed as he grabbed the requested item. "Today's special is Dino Cakes. Rich and moist," he put the package on the counter, "made of the best ingredients! Once these sell out, I don't know when I'll get more. This is my very last pack! They're really popular right now.

Creed ended up paying for the treat.

"That was close." Rosie breathed in relief as Creed slipped the package into her sleeve. "Let's get these to Dr. Diggins."

She spun on the ball of her foot and walked out, thankfully without grabbing Creed's arm again

_I need to clean out my sleeves._ Creed thought as she followed Rosie out. _They're becoming rather full. Maybe I should use my backpack a bit more?_

/\/\

_You know…_ Creed thought, eyeing the piles of books and scattered loose leaf pieces of paper, _This room is actually _cleaner_ than I thought it would be._

Of course, that didn't change the fact that it looked like a small whirlwind had come through at some point. It was quite difficult to find a safe path through the cluttered office.

"Oh, hello, Creed, Rosie." Diggins called pleasantly before expertly navigating the maze of paper to come greet them. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"We're trying to get deeper into Knotwood Forest, but we were told it was off-limits." Straight to the point, that was Rosie.

A blink. "Deeper into Knotwood Forest?" he shook his head. "No, I'm afraid that's just not possible right now. There's been an incident in the Digadigamid ruins near Digadig Village. I ordered the area closed. The investigation is being handled by a famous Fighter who's on the scene right now." A sudden frown, "But come to think of it…we haven't gotten word back since yesterday."

He glanced over his shoulder at the little corner of the room where he had been pacing before the duo had shown up. Creed could make out a computer and a barely visible telephone.

"I hope nothing's happened…"

Rosie pounced on the comment. "In that case, you should send us to check up on the fighter!"

Diggin's frown deepened with indecision. "Oh, boy…" he muttered, "What should I do…?"

The scientist rubbed the back of his neck as if to relieve muscle tension. At that moment a low rumble sounded from his stomach. Coloring slightly, an odd sight as his skin was so dark, he turned away. "I'm exhausted. I wonder if I've been working too hard…" he turned away completely. "I sure could go for a sweet snack."

Quick as a snake, Rosie snatched the Dino Cakes from Creed's sleeve, ignoring the other's cry of protest.

"Huh? What's this? Could that be a package of delicious Dino Cakes?"

_As innocent as a fox in the hen house._ Creed thought as Diggin's head snapped around fast enough to make her cringe internally.

Rosie looked at Creed. "Wanna split them, Creed?"

"D-D-Dino Cakes?" Diggins sputtered, taking half a step towards Rosie. "The shopkeeper said they were all sold out! I've been craving sweets so badly!" he sniffed the air and whimpered, "Oh no, I can smell them from here…"

"Really?"The pinkette drawled, "I'm sure we can make some sort of arrangement. Oh, hey!" a fake look of surprise, "We WERE trying to get Knotwood Forest access, weren't we? Sound fair, Dr. Diggins?"

The doctor sputtered, "I'm not sure that's such a—"

"Oh well." Rosie turned to Creed. "I guess the two of us will just have to eat these, Barotius."

_There's a pair of horns holding up that halo…_

A canine-like wail sounded.

Diggins shot Creed a doe-eyed look of betrayal. The red-head sighed.

"Hey!" Rosie yelped as Creed snatched the package away.

She approached Diggins and held them out. "These cakes for two clearance cards." She said flatly. "And as extra incentive, I'll help you with another vivosaur test when I get back. Deal?"

Cyan lit up as Diggins quickly snatched the package. Quickly sticking one of the cakes into his mouth, whole, he turned back to his desk. "Thank goodness! Give me a sec, okay?"

"Here you go. Just show this Clearance Card to the staff there, and they should let you pass." Creed took the card. "Just do me a favor and stay out of trouble, okay? Don't do anything that might reflect badly on the Center." Diggins turned away and dug into his Dino Cakes.

"Let's get back to Knotwood Forest!" Rosie exclaimed, making to grab Creed's arm.

Skillfully skating out of reach, Creed sent Rosie a flat look. "I'm going to clean the fossils I got first." There was no room for argument in her voice.

Turning, she calmly walked away, leaving a slightly startled Rosie in her wake.

/\/\

_Roaring embers stirred up passionate dancing reds and blended spirals of aggressive orange-reds_

_Shifting dark earth, stable backgrounds of cool browns and greens with patient wisps of anticipating orange_


	6. Chapter 2: Digadig Village II

**Digadig Village II**

"I can't let you go beyond this point." The attendant stated as the duo walked up. "It's officially off-limits."

Creed held up the clearance card.

"Ah, I see you have a clearance card." A pause. "If Dr. Diggin's says it's okay, then I have no choice but to let you pass…" he looked reluctant before the light of an idea flickered in his eyes. "Going beyond this point requires a certain amount of maturity. I'll have to test your maturity level… Are you ready for some battling?"

_Well, this should be interesting._ A sharp nod of confirmation, a glint in aquamarine eyes.

"Well, then." The attendant smiled, "I'll go ahead and explain about elemental types before the battle." He cleared his throat. "Each vivosaur has a specific type. Knowing these types is extremely important in battle. There are five different types—Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Neutral. A vivosaur's type can be determined by the attacks they use after they have three integrated bone segments, or, if you know how to see it, by their natural fighting style. Different types are strong or weak against each other. For example, Water is strong against Fire but weak against Air. Attacks from vivosaur with an elemental advantage results in greater damage caused and attacks from the enemy will cause less damage to your vivosaur. Neutral Vivosaurs have no elemental affiliation so there are no type advantages with them. This makes them safe…but kind of dull."

Rounding down with the lecture, the attendant smiled. "It can be tough to try and remember the relationships among all the types…but you'll learn as you go." A warning look, "Don't overdo it trying to memorize them right away!" He pulled out a pair of Dino Medals. "With that, let's see how well you handle yourself. Let's proceed with the test."

Creed eyed the two opposing vivosaurs. The first was a brown theropod Aero's size, called a Venator, and the second, called an alectro, was a smaller relative of the T-rex and only about six meters long and blue in color.

_Earth and Water,_ Creed noted.

With a twist and a snap she released two of her Dino Medals. _Ready?_

_A swirling gale blending starbursts of eager yellow-oranges and aggressive streaks of red. Ready and willing, Creed._ Aero sent eagerly.

_Crackling spiral of fiery red-oranges amidst a solid background of dark red fervor. Fight, clash, burn!_

_Easy Ferno._ Creed rebuked one of her newest vivosaurs, tossing out the Dino Medals.

Aero roared loudly as he appeared side-by-side with his newest battle partner.

A smaller than average s-raptor, only six meters rather than eight, Ferno was lithe, quick, and powerful. He was also a Fire-type vivosaur with a very different personality from Creed's three Wind-type vivosaurs.

Aero rumbled a warning as he moved his big head to restrain Ferno from lunging at the opponents.

_Ferno, enough! Don't be reckless._ Creed sent sharply as she forcefully slammed down on the dancing dark reds that represented the connection with Ferno. Mentally digging her heels in, she grabbed the roaring fire and forced it to bank, not bothering to be especially gentle.

_Fire smoldered amidst suddenly rolling greens of submission, accented by flecks of pale red resentment. …Fine!_

The Chinese thief rumbled his annoyance out loud but stepped back. He glanced back and shot Creed a look of grudging respect.

_Good, Aero: take point. Ferno: Starboard flank._

"Venator Bite on Spinax!" the attendant ordered.

The venator lunged forward, jaws wide. Aero didn't have time to react, but he didn't need to. Ferno broke formation and shot forward at speeds almost on par with Chicane.

A flying leap, Ferno slammed both feet into the venator's chest and pushed off, hard. The venator went flying back. The sound of snapping wood let it be known that it had impacted with a tree.

"Blue Fang!"

_Shocked flames spluttered and steamed, hot reds abruptly melted to disoriented muddy brown-reds and brown-grays._

Creed watched impassively as Ferno slammed hard into the ground after the sneak attack, side steaming where cold had collided with heat. It told quite a bit about water-type vivosaur's fighting style preference, and, hopefully, would teach Ferno to look before he leaped.

"Blue Fang again!" the attendant ordered

The alectro dived at Ferno from the side. Ferno was too dazed from the previous attack to move.

"Spinax Fang!"

What transpired next was like watching a multi-car pileup.

The alectro was grabbed from behind by Aero, who reared back to heave the smaller theropod.

_A sudden lack of wind amidst graying colors and starbursts of dizzying white._

Aero crashed loudly onto his side, the recovered venator snorting and preparing to charge again.

A loud bugle as Ferno latched onto the venator's ankle.

_Ouch._ Creed winced in sympathy as the Chinese Thief slid painfully across the dirt for his trouble.

Shaking his head, Ferno snarled as he returned to his feet.

_Swirling embers flaring up amidst a raging sea of angry red. Attack! Burn!_

_Stop him!_ Creed ordered quickly.

Long teeth clamped down over red and black as Aero quickly bit Ferno's tail. Ferno barked in surprise as he was dragged back and forced to his knees.

"Venator Bite on Spinax!" the venator started forward at a brisk pace.

"S-fang on the venator!"

Jaws loosened and Ferno dived at the brown theropod again.

"Alectro Combo!"

For the second time, the blue theropod charged Ferno from the side for a flanking blow. Just as Creed had predicted.

_Now!_

A strangled yelp.

Aero reared back and slammed the alectro hard into the ground. With a strangled cry, it returned to its Dino Medal.

Ferno, unhindered, sunk his teeth into the venator's neck. The larger vivosaur gave a deep grunt and reared up.

_Spluttering flames falling to embers. Waves of angry red spiraled downward into disoriented dull browns and fuzzy grays._

The Chinese Thief blinked up owlishly from the dirt.

_I see…a 'wait-and-strike' fighting style._ Creed observed. _Aero, help him._

White fangs flashed as the sound of collision echoed through the trees. A loud cry of pain followed as sharp spikes cut thick hide and the venator vanished back inside its Dino Medal.

"Well done, you may pass." The attendant praised as he retrieved his Dino Medals.

Creed didn't have a chance to say anything to the man before Rosie apprehended her again and quickly dragged her through the now open gate.

/\/\

"I don't see what Dr. Diggins was so worried about. Everything seems fine to me."

Creed sighed before saying patiently. "That's because the problem is at the—what did he call it? The 'Digadigamid'?"

"And what's with the name, 'Digadigamid'? Really?"

_Uh-oh, here she goes again._ Creed thought, lengthening her stride to get away from the oncoming monologue.

"This place is creepy, what if we see a ghos—AHHH!"

Creed whipped around at the scream.

"Venator! Trample 'em!" Rosie shrieked, leaping away from the masked figure that had grabbed for her arm.

—"_There are a people known as the Digadig tribe that has been living in Knotwood Forest for a long time now. They speak a strange language, but I understand they're a very kind and honest people."—_

_Oh for the love of—._ "Firma!"

_A rumble within calm yellows and curious pale yellows. As you wish._

Strong claws locked Rosie's venator in place.

"What the—?" A strong grip on her wrist made Rosie stop mid-sentence.

"Call off your vivosaur." Creed commanded flatly. "You're shaming Dr. Diggins and the Fossil Center."

"But they're gh—"

"Members, I assume, of the Digadig Tribe native to this forest."

"Oh." Blushing, the pinkette recalled her vivosaur.

Firma, Creed's own venator, leant down to the two quivering natives and studied them curiously.

"Thank you, Firma, that'll be all." Creed called.

The theropod glanced back and nodded.

_Solid earth trembled good naturedly amidst amused oranges. Very well._

Creed approached the two masked men in native garbs as Firma returned to his Dino Medal. "Hello." She greeted pleasantly, helping them back to their feet. "Are you two alright? I apologize for my companion, she's a little excitable."

"W-what brings you here, digadig?" one of them stuttered slightly, trying to calm down.

"We were sent to check on a Fossil Fighter who came here to investigate a problem at the Digadigamid. They haven't reported in in some time and Dr. Diggins was worried.

Both natives sat up sharply, fear forgotten. "You have come at a good time, digadig!" the second one said.

"We are faced with a problem, digadig." The first inched closer.

"We must ask for your help, digadig."The second was practically breathing on Creed's face.

_Don't lash out, don't lash out._ Creed chanted to herself. "Of course, we'll do what we can."

/\/\

_They seem rather scared of Rosie._ Creed observed, noting how the two guiding Digadigs kept her between them and the small pinkette. _It's both funny, and a little sad._

They were led to a large teepee.

"Halloo…Digadig."

_Robe-like clothing, a scepter with a ridiculously large emerald fashioned to the top, and a crown made of a filed down buffalo—or something similar—skull. This is definitely the chief._

"I…am the chieftain of Digadig Village…which is…this place…here, digadig."

_He seems rather hesitant._ Creed noted as the Chieftain studied she and Rosie.

"We are faced with a very, very…hard…difficulty…digadig."

_Nervous, or unfamiliar with speaking in English, I'm not sure which it is…_

Cocking her head curiously, Rosie stepped forward. "What's wrong?"

"The Digadigamid," a gesture towards beyond the tent to a looming pyramid-like structure, "behind our village, is our…sacred place. Many…treasures are hidden inside, digadig. Deep inside the Digadigamid we have a treasure…room" a hesitant pause. "The ancestral key to that room was…stolen. Also, the Fighter who came to…help has not come out of the Digadigamid for days, digadig."

A deeply earnest look. "I ask you now, young Fighter girls…Will you recover the key and keep our sacred Digadigamid…safe? Digadig?"

Rosie spun around energetically, "We'd be happy to help, Chieftan." A pause and a quizzical look. "But why does it have to be us? Wouldn't one of your people be better?"

A sad sigh. "The thieves are able to fight…Fossil Battles…digadig. We Digadigs cannot use your…Dino Medals…so we have no way to fight these thieves, digadig." A somewhat sheepish shrug. "To be honest, these…vivosaurs of yours…scare my people, digadig."

Remembering the two native's reactions to the two venator, Creed could not help but agree.

A broad grin. "In that case, leave everything to us!" Rosie pumped the air with her fist and looked at Creed. "Isn't that right, Creed?"

A sigh and a nonchalant shrug was her response.

A loud, grateful laugh. "Digadig gratitude is as large as a T-Rex with a full belly!" a grin. "We will make this task worth your while! Digadig!"

Pink eyes lit up. "Worth our while? Like a reward or something?" a grin. "Sounds exciting, doesn't it, Creed?"

The chieftain suddenly began twirling his scepter like a baton, chanting rapidly in a low repetitious language. Suddenly he stepped forward and pointed his scepter at Rosie.

The emerald on the end flashed abruptly. Creed leapt back. A blinding light flashed, followed by a deafening crash of thunder

Swaying, Creed blinked away the spots in her vision.

Rosie lie on the ground, stunned, the grass and dirt around her charred black. A blink, then the pinkette leapt up with a furious growl. "What do you think you're diga-doing?"

Creed blinked. _Huh…?_

"That really hurt!" Rosie continued, clutching her head and swaying slightly. "Ohhh…I feel a little diga-dizzy…" a gasp, and Rosie slapped her hands across her mouth. "Did I just say, 'Diga', diga?"

Despite herself, Creed sniggered.

"I don't want to say 'diga', but I keep doing it anyway!"

"You are now blessed with a bond between you and the Digadigs. This will bring you eternal joy, Digadig!" was the cheerful response.

Furious eyes landed on the man, who yelped as hands suddenly gripped the front of his tunic.

"How diga-dare you!" Rosie screeched, shaking the poor man. "How am I supposed to have a d-d-d-d-DIGA-DISCUSSION without saying 'Diga'?" She released the disoriented chieftain and abruptly burst into tears.

"I feel like I'm going to have to stay in this diga-dang village forever! NO!" An anguished screech, "I can't stay here…diga!" she swooned, and then collapsed.

Darting forward, Creed caught quickly her.

"You are diga-displeased?" The chieftain asked in astonishment, and then apologetically added, "Forgive me. I only intended to show my thanks from the diga-depths of my heart."

"Don't take it too personally." Creed stated. "She's very dramatic, though I suggest you reverse it fairly soon or you'll have her setting her vivosaurs on you."

The chieftain shuddered before shaking his head and looking at Creed. "Young Fighter girl, we will watch over your friend, Digadig." At the cue, one of the villagers came up, scooped up the unconscious Rosie, and walked away to a random teepee. "Please do whatever is in your power to recover our ancestral key, Digadig."

"Of course." Creed nodded. "But, for the record, a simple thank you will suffice."

A strangled yelp escaped her as the chieftan embraced her in a bear hug.

"Many, many thanks, young Fighter girl!"

"Happy to help, just let go. Now."

/\/\

_Surprisingly good condition for ruins._ Creed noted as she walked through the dimly lit corridor. _Walls still smooth, very little dust, though the same can't be said for dirt._

Sharp movement out of her peripheral vision. Creed leapt back, out of reach of a grasping hand.

_Purple latex, oddly stylized double 'B' insignia, obviously some kind of uniform…hmm, this should be interesting._

The oddly dressed man stumbled before righting himself. "I've been given strict orders to stop anyone who tries to get into these ruins."

_His intimidation attempt could use a little work. That hat and suit certainly don't help._

"And you think you can stop me?"

Taken aback, the man hesitated. Shaking his head, he growled and clenched a fist. "You asked for it, buddy! I'll try to destroy you quickly and painlessly! BB bing, BB bang, BB BOOM!" He threw out two Dino Medals. "Goyo, Stygi!"

Creed rolled her eyes. "I'm shaking right down to my boots. Firma, Ferno."

Stygi was another thick-skulled lizard, predominately red in color, and the same size as Goyo.

"Stygi: Fiendish Ram on Venator! Goyo: Rock Head on S-raptor!"

"Have at 'em, Ferno." Creed waved her hand dismissively. _Firma, deal with the goyo._

A roar, Ferno lunged and collided with the stygi, catching it in his strong jaws. Busy with his prey, he didn't notice the oncoming goyo. Fortunately, Firma did.

A yelp and a painful slam of flesh against hard stone as Firma flipped the goyo into the roof. As it became part of the ceiling, the stygi was forced back into its Dino Medal. The goyo came loose and fell to the ground, but was caught in Firma's strong jaws, joining its partner back in Dino Medal state.

_A huff of heat, a put out background of bored red-grays. To weak._ Ferno complained.

_An amused tremor of light orange amusement. So impatient, Ferno._ Firma chastised.

The man yelped as his vivosaurs were vanquished.

"Aw, man!" he complained, "You're too much of a Fossil Fighter for me!" In a blur of shiny purple, he fled past Creed, whimpering pathetically as he did so.

Creed sniggered with a mix of amusement and pity and shook her head. That man did not deserve to be called a Fighter. If his vivosaurs had fossils any better than fifty-five percent then she'd be surprised. His vivosaurs had no intelligence, just like their master.

/\/\

A vicious snarl made Creed quickly step back.

_Oh you have _got_ to be joking._ She thought incredulously, eyeing the short figure that had just tried lunging at her.

She took an experimental step towards the latex-clad bulldog-like figure. The response was a growl and a slight hunch that warned of a potential lunge.

_You know,_ a vague sense of amusement, _I don't think it's going to let me through._

The dog snarled viciously.

Creed blinked. _Dino Medals too? Well, well, I'm beginning to feel glad I came. _

An exaggeratedly large step forward and the dog responded by throwing the medals.

The foremost vivosaur stood roughly six meters tall and resembled—what was it called?—a 'Great Beast' or megatherium, prehistoric giant sloths. This vivosaur variation was known as a megath.

Its partner, stationed rear-flank, was a member of the ankylosauria family, most likely a nodosaurus, meaning 'Knobbed Lizard', named so due to the bony knobs that ran along its back in place of sharp ridges, and its notable lack of any club-tail. It was as long as the megath was tall.

_Aero, Firma, you're up._

Patience and misdirection, plus a type advantage.

"Venator Combo!"

Firma lunged forward, slamming a shoulder into the megath.

The great beast hardly budged.

_What the—?_

The dog barked and Firma went crashing into the ground, courtesy of a powerful swipe to the head.

_But,_ Creed spluttered, _wind is supposed to _scatter_ in the face of solid force, not brace and withstand it! That's more like an earth vivosaur strategy!_ A sudden thought occurred to her. _Unless the blow was weaker than the wind, in which case it would be the oncoming force that would be repelled…I wonder…_

"Aero: Spinax Fang!"

_A quizzical breeze amidst confused pale orange flashes of pale green obedience. Alright, Creed._ Aero shot forward.

Again, the blow had next to no effect, but Aero was able to avoid the retaliatory blow that followed.

_I see…_ Creed frowned, _I don't understand it, but I see what happened._ "Firma: Go!"

The brown theropod tensed. The megath braced marginally for another blow. Firma lunged.

A shriek of pain.

The dog yelped in shock. Creed smirked.

Grunting, Firma stood tall, and then slammed the nodo head first into the ground. Stunned, it could not defend itself against the following blow. Firma slammed his hard head and bony shoulder into soft underbelly.

"Aero!"

The megath crashed into the ground as the theropod rammed it from the side.

"Firma: Finish it!"

Teeth sank into no-longer armored fur. The corridor shook violently as the megath crashed into the wall.

A whimper, the dog hastily grabbed his medals and took off deeper into the Digadigamid. Creed quickly gave chase, but was soon left in the dust.

_He's fast._ Creed observed, _Oh, right he's a _dog._ They're generally much faster than humans are, _duh_._

/\/\

Creed crept silently in the shadows of the wall. Ambushed twice, she'd rather avoid a third time if she could help it.

A chuckle echoed through the passage.

"Check out the adventurous little Fighter,"

Creed froze. _No way they can see me yet._

"sniffing around other people's business!"

A worried bark sounded.

"No worries," was the assurance.

_I see, he's talking to the dog._ Creed realized.

"I'll have 'em stomped into a pancake in about a minute!" A snicker.

"Oh really?" Creed stepped out into the next chamber where the voices originated from. "Care to back up that bold statement?"

Both figures gave a start and whipped around.

_That's…a really _sharp_ nose. _Creed blinked. _Sort of reminds me of a hawk's beak._

'Hawk-nose' smirked haughtily. "Alright, little Fighter. If you knew what you were in for, you'd have turned tail already. Guess I'll just have to show you your big mistake."

Aquamarine eyes rolled. "I'm shaking in my boots."

A frown, a slight twitch under an eye. "When I'm done with you, you're going to be more ruined than this Digadigamid!"

_You're sooo clever._

"Pachy, Goyle: Go!"

Sandy brown, black and white, Pachy closely resembled the pachycephalosaurus it was named for and was twice the size of the other thick-skulled lizards Creed had encountered in the past.

"Ferno, Firma." Creed intoned. _Let's see if the phenomenon repeats itself…_ "S-Fang on the pachy—"

"Iron Headbutt!" Hawk-nose yelled quickly.

Ferno slammed heavily onto his back. Creed's eyes widened as she felt roaring flames of passionate reds suddenly get dowsed to flickering ashes.

_I didn't even see it move!_ Aquamarine narrowed. "Firma: Venator Bite." _Let's see if we can find our way around this little problem of ours._

_Earth trembled and sharpened like lethal stalagmites of dark red-orange dashed by observant pale oranges. As you command, Creed. _

A roar and a rumble as Firma charged forward.

"Iron Headbutt again!"

Like before, there was no chance to avoid the blow. But, Firma was able to protect his vulnerable stomach and thus only received a marginal amount of damage.

He crashed on his side, almost right on top of the goyle. The fused lizard hardly twitched.

Creed's eyes sharpened_._

"Ferno: S-Fang!"

Ferno, now recovered, lunged at the thick-skulled lizard—

—and missed as the pachy retreated farther into the chamber. Ferno snarled and gave chase.

_Very poor choice._ Creed thought triumphantly as she saw Hawk-nose and the dog watching the chase. "Firma, now!"

"Wha—?"

_The roar of a deadly landslide lit with starbursts of aggressive red-oranges and streaks of triumphant yellows. Got you!_

The goyle yelped as teeth sunk into its tail. Returning to his feet, Firma swung around and released, sending the fused lizard crashing painfully into the wall. It remained momentarily stuck to the wall before Firma finished the Venator Combo attack with a shoulder slam.

A second yelp sounded as Ferno caught the pachy and brutally crunched it in his teeth. The thick-skulled lizard whimpered pathetically before one last bite finished it.

Hawk-nose and the dog leapt back, eyes wide, as Creed recalled her vivosaurs.

"Wha—?" the man cried in disbelief, "You _beat_ me? But you're just a kid!"

The dog looked up and barked crisply.

Dark eyes glinted. "I was just thinking the same thing." A nod and a toothy grin. "It's time to break out the good stuff—my surefire knockout punch!"

Creed quirked an eyebrow as the man laughed.

"You won't believe the special move I've been holding back. Just wait right there for it." A chuckle and the man took a large step back.

Creed blinked.

"Here it comes!" Another step back.

_He's running away, what's so 'special' about that? …Wait a moment…_

"Better get ready!"

_Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?_

"Here it comes!" he backed against the wall.

_Wait a moment…wall—is that a brick sticking out?_

"You won't even see it coming!" the man slammed the brick fully into the wall.

_Oh Huene—_

The floor beneath her feet gave way.

Reach, grab, pause and pull _up._ Creed struggled to pull herself back up through the trap hole, managing to get up to her elbows.

_Uh-oh…_

_Screaming winds amidst starbursts of terrified green and ragged streaks of alarmed red. Creed!_

The oncoming boot was the last thing she saw.


	7. Chapter 2: Digadig Village III

**Digadig Village III**

"Hey, are you alright?"

Her head throbbed, her neck felt strained, and the rest of her body didn't feel much better.

_Sharp gusts of icy wind amidst jagged bolts of aggressive red-oranges._ A ferocious hiss sounded.

A yelp. "Hey! I'm trying to help her!"

_Chicane?_

Warm air brushed against her face as something soft tickled her skin.

Eyes still closed, Creed reached up and scratched the swift thief's muzzle.

_Sharp gusts soften to a gentle breeze, aggression melts to questioning oranges with wisps of apprehensive pale green. Are you…alright, Creed?_

_I'll be fine._ Creed assured.

A soft grunt, she sat up stiffly and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Chicane's big yellow eyes. Blinking, she gently pushed the overprotective raptor out of her line of immediate sight.

"Good—you're awake. Guess you're not dead, then."

Chicane snarled at the bad joke, turning and hissing at the speaker.

_Carrot top._ Were Creed's first observations upon seeing the woman, followed by, _Seems like an adventuring archeologist, like Indiana Jones._

Placing a finger to her temple, the woman hummed. "My psychic powers tell me that your name is Creed and you're a Level 2 Fighter. Am I right?" behind dark sunglasses, dark blue eyes curled upwards in a smile.

Creed blinked, then noticed her license in the woman's hand. Quirking an eyebrow, she gave the woman an amused look.

"I'm just kidding about the psychic powers." A laugh. "Here, as you might have noticed, you lost your Fighter's License when you fell."

Taking back the license, Creed slipped it back into her sleeve. _How did it fall out but nothing else?_

"I'm Nevada Montecarlo." Creed restrained a sudden snigger that threatened to break out. "I'm a Fighter specializing in expeditions to dangerous locales." The snap of a leather whip emphasized the declaration.

"You look like it." Creed quipped.

"Just don't make any Indiana Jones comparisons, okay?"

An agreeable nod.

"The Fossil Center hired me to infiltrate the Digadigamid and investigate an incident."

"The theft of the ancestral key, right?"

Nevada nodded. "Those BB Bandit jerks tricked me down that stupid trapdoor." a harsh glare was directed at the ground. "I assume the same thing happened to you."

"Unfortunately." Creed nodded. "Though I should have known what he was planning when he made for the wall rather than the exit."

"Ah well," a shrug, "They say hindsight is 20-20. Anyway, do you know about the BB Bandits?"

Creed shook her head.

"They're a secret organization that just can't seem to stop making trouble." She held up her fingers and counted off, "Illegal fossil trading, destruction of dig sites…you name it. They're just a bad bunch."

"No kidding." Creed tenderly ran her fingers across the growing bruise under her eye.

"What happened to you, anyway?"

"I got kicked." Was the simple answer, accompanied by a shrug. "Anyway, you were saying—?"

"Oh, right. Right now, they're here to steal the Digadigmid treasure, but I'm finally going to stop them." She strode over to an elaborate door with a large, oddly shaped keyhole in the center.

Looking back at Creed, Nevada ran her fingers over several hieroglyphs carved into the stone. "I've been reading on the carvings on the wall here," she explained, motioning to one glyph in particular. "They mention a key? No, better!" a grin, "Keymonite! Fantastic!"

"Keymonite?" Creed echoed, "I'm not familiar with it."

"It's an ancient creature, kind of like an ammonite, but acts like a natural skeleton key." She sniggered at the pun. "If we can find one, we're free. But," a sheepish expression crossed her face, "my sonar's busted. Think you can dig one up, Creed?"

Though toned as a question, the crack of her whip made Creed wonder if it was actually more of an order. All the same…

"Start searching the room! If I'm reading the carvings right, we should be able to find a keymonite fossil.

With a shrug, Creed pulled out her sonar to seek out the keymonite. With her upgraded sonar screen, it was simple to find and then dig up the needed fossil rock. Oddly enough, it showed up as a red dot on her sonar.

"Great," Nevada grinned, "You found one!" a frown, "The only problem is that we can't get it into a keyhole like that. You'll need to clean that thing. Then we can get out of here."

"How?" Creed queried. "I don't have any of my cleaning tools—"

She blinked as Nevada grinned and suddenly held up a hammer and drill, miniature versions to those found in the Fossil Center.

"That's handy." She commented.

"Isn't it?" Nevada grinned, handing the tools over. "Here you go."

"Why do I—never mind…" Creed knelt down over the fossil rock and carefully removed the soft shell of dirt encasing the fossil. Chicane wandered over and leaned his jaw against Creed's shoulder, watching curiously.

_Wow, it really _does_ look like a key._ Creed thought when she was done.

"Nice work!" Nevada praised as Creed handed her the fossil. "All right," she turned back to the locked door. "Let's see if these things really can open any lock…"

A click from above, once the key was put in place, made Creed and Chicane dive forward. Just in time, for a wooden ladder dropped down from the hole above, just barely missing them.

"Great!" Nevada grinned. "Not what I was expecting, but we should be able to sue this ladder to get out of here." A pause, "Uh, that means you'll have to call back your V-raptor."

Chicane whined. Creed scratched his neck. "I'll let you out later." She promised.

/\/\

"The door to the treasure chamber is already open." Nevada hissed from where she and Creed hid in the wall's shadows. "Let's hope we're not too late!"

The whip snapped out as Nevada leapt into the chamber.

The dog let out a startled yip. As it and the man spun around at the shout, both visibly startled.

"Hey, check it out." Hawk-nose laughed, regaining his composure. "The adventure dame teamed up with the pip-squeak Fighter to fight crime. Adorable."

_I wonder if I can push him down the stairs and claim it was an accident. _Creed thought, eye twitching.

"Wait," the man frowned, "how'd you two even get out of that underground trap? That thing was escape proof!"

Nevada scoffed. "Hardly." A snort. "Turns out a Level 2 Fighter could break out of there." A gesture towards Creed. "_This_ Level 2 Fighter next to me. Now," an unnerving smile as she stepped forward, "since you needed a trapdoor to beat either of us before, how will you beat both of us together?"

Hawk-nose paled and the dog whimpered slightly. Both took anxious steps back.

"Do you two slackers think you can drag your feet a little _more_?"

Everyone jumped at the woman's voice, coming from the back of the chamber.

The man and dog glanced back anxiously. "Uh-oh," the man breathed, "She's back! Quick, look busy!"

_She looks rather dangerous._ Creed noticed as a turquoise haired woman walked up. _Even with that ridiculous suit._

"Oh," the woman sneered, eyeing the pair, "don't you two look…adventurey." A scornful look. "Quite the duo—Ranger Red and Fossil Girl! I'm trembling with fear." A pause, then a frown, "Wait a minute!"

Dog and man cringed under the turquoise glare.

"Are you two loafers telling me you lost to this kid?" she demanded incredulously.

"Uh…" the man shifted sheepishly, running a hand through bright blond hair, "technically, yeah…" a pause, "But…"

The dog whined.

"Actually," the woman mused, ignoring the pair, "that's pretty impressive for a girl your age."

Creed shrugged nonchalantly and the woman stepped closer.

"I suppose if you're going to be a real opponent, we'll have to introduce ourselves." A gesture to the dog, "Man's best friend here is Rex." A pause followed by a sideways glance towards Creed and Nevada. "If you happen to know what he is or where he's from, please do let me know."

Rex barked.

…_at least I'm not the only one out of the loop…_

A gesture to the hawk-nosed man. "The gent with the long nose is Snivels." Creed barely suppressed a snigger. "The nose isn't just for show—he can smell better than Rex."

Snivels laughed and stepped up, puffing up his chest proudly. "Oh yeah," he agreed, "I can smell what flavor gum you have in your pocket right now…" he sniffed the air. "…It's strawberry."

_Well I'll be._ "Impressive." Creed conceded.

"And me?" the woman continued. "I'm the one stuck leading this bunch, Vivian. But you can call me 'archenemy'."

An eye roll. _Let's not get ahead of ourselves now._ She thought in annoyance. _I still don't know if you're any better than your lackeys there._

"Vivian…" Nevada echoed. "I've heard of you. You're pretty high up in the BB Bandits organization."

Vivian smirked. "How flattering." Head cocked slightly, "I'd love to chat, but we have what we came for, so we'll be leaving. Rex? Snivels? Time to go."

The pair stood at a sudden attention.

A crack of a whip made them all twitch.

"Only if you think you can beat both of us, Vivian. Ready, Creed?"

A sharp nod.

"So sorry," was the insincere response, "but I'm afraid my battling schedule is all full up." A jeering grin, "No time to play with you two, I'm afraid." A glance at Rex. "Rex!"

_What the—?_

Head met stone floor. Creed blinked owlishly at the ceiling.

_Oww…_

"Stop! I won't let you escape!" Nevada yelled.

The grinding of heavy stone.

A frustrated snarl. "They locked the door from the outside."

"Don't worry heroes." Came Vivian's muffled voice. "I'm sure someone will dig you out…in a few million years when you're fossils yourselves!" a laugh. "Toodle-loo!"

Nevada swore.

Creed, still dizzy, sat up wondering how something so small could hit so hard.

"She said they got what they came for," Nevada muttered, pacing furiously in front of the closed passageway, "so they must have the treasure." An aggravated hiss. "Everything in here is an important artifact of the Digadig culture, dating back thousands of years!" The crack of a whip. "We can't let the BB Bandits get away with stealing any of it!"

"Well, if you have an idea of how to get past that door," Creed drawled, climbing to her feet, "I'm all ears."

A thoughtful hum, then a surprised cry. "What's this?" Nevada walked up to the stone door. "There's some ancient script written on the door!"

Curious, Creed moved to stand next to her.

"Wait." Nevada frowned. "This doesn't make any sense. What language is this even written in?" a glance at Creed. "Creed, this might be some sort of puzzle. Would you take a look?"

Creed studied the Roman Lettering curiously, and then cocked her head.

"It's English," she announced after a moment. "Only written top-to-bottom, left-to-right. Look, it reads 'A secret tunnel hides between the two unbreakable bones', followed by 'DIG' with an exclamation mark."

"Good eye!" Nevada praised as Creed moved to the aforementioned unbreakable bones.

Glancing between them, she pulled out her pickaxe and slammed it hard into the ground roughly center between the two piles.

Ground gave way. Creed yelped as she dropped for a second time that day.

/\/\

Creed dropped from the other end of the tunnel, landing lightly on the balls of her feet. She glanced up, and quickly sidestepped to avoid having Nevada drop on her.

"We're at the entrance!" the elder Fighter praised. "Good work." She turned and frowned down the corridor. "The BB's are still inside." An anticipatory grin. "From here, we can force them into a Fossil Battle. I think I can take them," a sideways glance at Creed, "But I'm glad I can count on you to back me up, Creed."

The two quickly hid in wait just outside the first chamber.

Within moments they heard the three villains running down the passage.

"You're not getting out of here with that stolen property, BB Bandits!" Nevada yelled as she stepped into view, mirrored by Creed.

The astonished trio slid to an abrupt stop and gaped at the duo.

Vivian recovered first. "Well," she began, "I have to admit that I'm a little impressed." A curious look, "However did you escape from there?"

Nevada smirked arrogantly. "Sorry, Vivian. Trade secret." A step forward, "Tell you what, though. I'll let you in on it if you hand over the treasure you're trying to steal." A snap of her whip emphasized her words.

The trio just glared at her.

"No?" the fake surprise was poorly done, "Can't say I'm too surprised. Oh well. I hope you're ready to take on Nevada Montecarlo, dino duelist!"

She reached into her pocket and froze. "Wait!" frantically she searched the other pockets in her pants. "Where did my Dino Medals go?"

Rex gave a barking laugh, echoed by Snivels. The latter of whom held up several Dino Medals.

"Surprised, Red?"

_Oh, Hoinigen._ Creed thought with a mental groan. _I know where this is going…_

"Sorry, Creed!" Nevada called apologetically, suddenly several feet behind Creed. "It's all up to you! You can take her! Show them what you're made of!"

_What an unpleasant sense of déjà vu…_ Creed gave a long suffering sigh.

"So you're going to step in and fight me in her place, huh?" Vivian hummed, fingering her Dino Medals. "As you wish, but you should know that my vivosaurs are FAR more powerful than Rex's and Snivels's."

"I'll believe that when I see it." Creed drawled, rolling her eyes. Vivian frowned.

"I hope you're ready for a thrashing, child."

Medals flew.

First was a raptor-like vivosaur, derived from a deinonychus, meaning 'Terrible Claw', and was over four meters long with pink and white coloring. The second was a predominately red 'bird-footed' dinosaur, called a lambeo and similar in build to an igua, only more like duck-billed dinosaurs such as the parasaurolophus , and was the largest vivosaur Creed had seen to date, stretching at over sixteen meters.

_Its size will work against it in these tight spaces._ Creed analyzed, drawing her vivosaurs.

_Sharp bursts of cold wind amidst aggressive waves of red-orange and contemptuous streaks of violet-reds. I will fight, I and Lethar._ Chicane sent. Creed could feel his Medal warming up through the mechanism on her wrist.

She hesitated for a moment, before deciding to trust him and releasing the two Dino Medals.

Chicane appeared at point, with Lethar on at his starboard flank.

All at once, he seemed to sag slightly.

_Wha—?_ And then Creed felt it as well. A kind of pressure in the air around her, hindering her movement, making it harder to focus on her target.

Blinking, she shook her head and forced the feeling to the back of her mind.

_A flurry of annoyed reds with splashes of focused greens. Alright, watch, learn, plan. Lambeo is the hindrance, Nychus is the threat._

A sharp bark at Lethar, who seemed to nod in response and brace himself.

"Nychus Venom on V-Raptor!" Vivian yelled.

_Show it why you're wind aligned._ Creed sent.

Chicane remained still until the last possible moment before moving.

The nychus's claw came down on empty dirt as Chicane rolled to the side.

"Toxic Combo!" Creed yelled.

The nychus howled as the smaller raptor latched on and kicked its sides viciously before backing away. It cause damage but, unfortunately, did not cause poisoning.

"Don't let it do that again!" Vivian shouted. "Nychus Venom on Goyle!"

The terrible claw lunged towards the motionless Lethar.

_Watch out!_ Creed warned. Only faint wisps of helplessness responded. "Body Axe!"

Nychus ducked the oncoming spade tail and sunk its claws into Lethar's vulnerable side. Unlike with Chicane's prior attack, this one left poison.

_Blast it!_ Creed gritted her teeth. "Chicane!"

"Watch it!" Vivian warned.

The larger raptor leapt up to avoid the smaller one. It landed lightly in front of the lambeo.

Creed looked between Chicane and the quickly weakening Lethar.

_We haven't tried this before, but we don't have a choice._ She gritted her teeth. "Lethar: your tail! Chicane: Toxic Combo!" _Then use Lethal Poison._

Two affirmative wisps of color answered her.

Chicane leapt back onto Lethar's tail.

"What are you doing?" Vivian demanded, frowning. Creed ignored her.

Lethar swung his tail sharply, sending Chicane flying at high speeds.

The nychus didn't have a chance to respond this time as twin sickle claws sunk into its chest. Chicane flipped back, leaving a large dose of poison behind.

A snarl, the swift thief braced and inhaled sharply. He exhaled, hard.

A cyclone of greenish wind shot out, striking both the nychus and the lambeo. The nychus howled and returned to its Dino Medal, defeated, and the lambeo took heavy poisoning.

A surge of vertigo washed over Creed, making her sway a moment before forcing the warning symptoms away. At the same time, the hindering pressure that had been over her and Chicane vanished as the lambeo slammed a forepaw into the ground in an attempt to strike Chicane.

_What…happened?_ Creed wondered, feeling torn with fatigue and relief. She shook her head sharply.

"Toxic Combo! Finish it off!"

"Lambeo Combo!" Vivian countered. "Don't let it touch you!"

Chicane lunged, the lambeo swung down—

"What?" Vivian cried. Creed smirked.

Strong forepaws smashed into stone, completely missing the intended target. Chicane's leap carried him over the duck-bill's head. Sharp claws sunk deeply into the base of the skull.

With a cry, the lambeo vanished.

"H-how?" Vivian sputtered in disbelief, eyes wide as she stepped back. "How did you do that?" she demanded. "I've never lost before!"

"First time…for everything." Creed answered between deep breathes.

"Time to hand over the stolen goods." Nevada declared, suddenly in front of Vivian.

Creed silently called back her vivosaurs, and this time did fall to her knees as the vitality loss caught up with her. Doubled over, she focused on breathing deeply and fighting to stay conscious.

In. Out. In. Out.

"Here."

Blinking wearily, Creed quickly accepted the offered granola bar. After several bites she began to feel better.

"Creed, you were amazing." Nevada said in amazement, kneeling next to her. "I couldn't have asked for a better partner in the field."

"Happy to help." Creed murmured softly.

"We need to take this back to Digadig Village and give the chieftain the good news. Think you can walk?"

"So long as we don't run, sure."

/\/\

"Ohhh!" The chieftain grinned brightly, accepting the small key Nevada handed him. "This is definitely the stolen key to the treasure chamber, Digadig! Young Fighter girl, you have done a great service for the Digadigs, and for that I thank you, digadig."

"Don't mention it." Creed spoke softly.

She tuned out the following conversation, feeling the fatigue creeping up on her again. It was all she could do to stand without swaying. Why was she so tired? The fight hadn't been as taxing as the one with Medal-Dealer Joe…maybe it was because of the third tier technique Chicane had used, coupled with the poisoning Lethar had experienced? She'd have to ask Diggins.

A gasp from the Chieftain broke Creed out of her musings.

"This idol should be a suitable reward for returning our key to us, digadig."

She was rather surprised when an eighteen inch figurine was put into her hand. Blinking owlishly, she stared at it.

_It's smiling,_ she observed with a blink, _and rather cheerful looking with that bright green lining…if a little tacky._

She didn't realize she had zoned out again until a flash and a bang snapped her back to the present. Blinking, she watched Rosie—when had she come up?—dizzily return to her feet.

"The spell has been…removed, digadig."

"Finally!" Rosie cried in relief, "I can speak like my old self again…digadig."

Creed couldn't quite smother the snicker that escaped her. Rosie's expression didn't help.

"Wait, did I just say 'digadig'? …Digadig." She howled angrily. "No, no, no! Not only is the spell still on me…now it's even worse! …Digadig!"

Creed and Nevada both smothered snorts and snickers of laughter behind politely raised hands.

_Actually,_ Creed thought,_ I think it's a little better now._

The Chieftain had no such restraint as a great guffaw left him. "There are sometimes…" he sniggered, "complications in spell removal, digadig. Just go about your business and it will go away. For now, you will have to…diga-deal with it." Another snicker.

Rosie burst into tears. "Nooooo!"

* * *

**Next time:**

"Remember what I told you before, about vivosaurs?"

"About the symbiosis they share with their Fighters?" A nod. "Yes."

"What I told you was the bare basics." A pause. "There's a bit more to it that centralizes around the 3rd Tier abilities." Cyan met aquamarine. "They're extremely dangerous for weak or novice fighters, possibly even _lethal_."


	8. Chapter 2: Digadig Village IV

**Digadig Village IV**

Creed stared blankly at the white ceiling

_Huh…?_ A slow blink. _Where am I?_

Stiffly, she sat up.

"Feeling better, now?"

"Dr. Diggin's…?" Creed frowned, "When did I…?"

"Nevada brought you in a couple hours ago." The scientist explained, stopping next to the couch. "You were pretty out of it then, but you mentioned keeping your word."

_I…think I remember that._ Her foggy mind began to clear slightly. _Hey, he cleaned up in here…I didn't see a couch last time, though…_

The scattered papers and books that had previously cluttered Dr. Diggin's office seemed to have all been piled up on several desks.

The smell of meat wafted under her nose. Blinking, Creed took the offered sandwich and quickly began eating.

"So you over exerted yourself, then? Like with Medal-Dealer Joe?"

A negative shake of the head.

"No, actually, I think it was a combination of two things." She held up a digit. "First off, Lethar was badly poisoned and just barely conscious by the time I recalled him." A second digit. "Secondly, I had Chicane use a Third Tier attack, his Lethal Poison ability."

Cyan eyes widened. "You have three fossils for him?"

A nod. "Captain Travers gave me one when I first became a fighter…" a slight cock to her head, "Is something wrong?"

Diggin's frowned. "Yes," he nodded, "I can't believe he was that irresponsible."

A blink. "Huh?"

"Oh, that's right, you don't know. It's one of the reasons why we make the upgrades for the sonar so expensive."

Curious, Creed leaned forward, beckoning the scientist to explain.

"Remember what I told you before, about vivosaurs?"

"About the symbiosis they share with their Fighters?" A nod. "Yes."

"What I told you was the bare basics." A pause. "There's a bit more to it that centralizes around the 3rd Tier abilities." Cyan met aquamarine. "They're extremely dangerous for weak or novice fighters, possibly even _lethal_."

"How so? Aside from the standard vitality siphoning, I mean." Creed leaned back, against the couch and swallowed a bit of her sandwich. "I have a suspicion, but would rather hear it flat out."

"3rd Tier attacks are elemental, calling on the vivosaur's innate affinity. As such, they require _much_ more vitality to pull off compared to the generic attacks like biting or kicking." A pause. "To explain it simply, it requires the vivosaur to draw some of the nutrients, or vitality, from the immediate area. While this acts as the building blocks for the attack, the _power_ to pull it off is drawn directly from the Fighter."

"Does the immediate environment influence the strength of the attack?"

"Actually, yes." A bright grin. "It's really quite interesting. You see, different locations tend to favor one type over another. Like with Greenhorn Plains, the wide open spaces make it perfect for wind-attributed vivosaurs—though they thrive just about anywhere except for caves and underwater—while water-attributed vivosaurs would be at a severe disadvantage.

"Knotwood is a good place for earth-attributes while Mount Lavaflow is the ideal place for fire vivosaurs. Then some places, like Rivet Ravine, which can support two types equally. In this case, earth and wind." A pause, "Which is kind of funny since wind is at a disadvantage against earth."

"What about the neutral vivosaurs I've heard about?"

"Oh, it's a bit of a mixed bag with them. They can manage just about anywhere except for places with major extremes, such as underwater or in lava, which fire types can actually swim in, I might add,"

Creed cocked her head and filed that information away for future reference.

"but they don't get any power boosts…" a pause. "and of course they need to be familiar with the environment before they can fight effectively on it. A neutral accustomed to open plains would have trouble fighting on, say, unsteady terrain or a thick forest."

"That would make sense." Creed hummed.

"Oh! I take back what I said about neutrals not getting a boost from their environment." Diggins suddenly announced. "There's a theory that they do better in urban areas for some reason. I haven't had time to test if it was true, though…"

_Test! _Creed stiffened, eyes widening slightly in remembrance. "I just remembered! I came here to help you with a test, like I promised earlier!"

A blink, then light dawned behind glass lenses. "That's right!" a grin, "And I have one in mind too!"

"What is it?"

"Oh, I need to collect more data on how rear-line vivosaurs support frontline fighters."

"You mean like increasing their defense with a transparent barrier?" _Like what happened with the nodo and the megath._

"A nod. "And how some can restrict the movements of the opponent's frontline vivosaurs."

_Restrict?_

"For some reason they have to remain stationary when giving support, unless given constant instruction by their fighter, and thus become vulnerable." A grin, "Your goyle, sorry, Lethar, increases strength and accuracy, so it's an ideal vivosaur for this experiment.

_This is going to be _very_ interesting._

/\/\

"Creed!"

_Oh please no. Not this early in the morning._ Creed restrained an exasperated groan. "Hello…Rosie."

"Weird day yesterday, huh?" a grin as the pinkette ran up. "I seem to be better today! I haven't said 'diga' once!"

"You just did." Creed couldn't resist pointing out.

Rosie glared. "You know what I mean!"

Creed just chuckled.

"What did you do with that tacky idol?"

"I put it on an empty shelf in my room." A shrug, "I didn't know what else to do with it and, for some reason, I didn't want to get rid of it."

"Oh, Creed."

A blink, Creed turned to the new arrival. "Hello, Nevada."

The elder Fighter smiled and nodded in greeting. "And…it's Rosie, right?"

Rosie nodded.

"Are you two heading off on another adventure," Nevada continued, "or are you going to be fighting in today's Level-Up Battles?"

Rosie perked up, eyes wide. "That's today? I totally forgot!" She grinned at Creed. "Fighting, definitely! Right Creed?"

"Why are they so regular?" Creed wondered.

"What do you mean?" Nevada and Rosie asked in unison. A shiver ran up Creed's spine, but she brushed it off.

"Well…I had my Level-1 Battle the day-before-yesterday, and my qualification match the day before that." A pause, "It's a bad idea to give novices access to strong vivosaurs right off the bat, right? So why risk people because they over exert themselves before they're used to handling vivosaurs?"

Nevada suddenly laughed. "Oh, it's not quite that dangerous. Most Fighters take months, if not years, to rank up past the 4th Level."

"Besides," Rosie added. "Right now it's the beginning of the Tourney."

A blank look.

"Let me explain it." Nevada cut in. "It's like this: Level-Up Battles occur once every six months for a period of three weeks. Everyone calls it the Level-Up Tourney, or simply the Tourney. With me so far?" A nod. "Alright, during this time prospective Fossil Fighters are brought to the island. Qualification Battles and Level-Up Battles are scheduled every other day, yesterday was for Qualification Battles, except for the last two days of the Tourney, which has Level-Up Battles twice in a row."

Nevada paused for a breath before continuing. "With the near constant Fossil Battles novices can find where they're base limit is and qualify to that level so they can learn at their own pace. The highest rank they tend to reach is 3rd, except for one Fighter, his name was Jonas I think, who made it up to Level 4 on his first Tourney.

"While novices are testing their abilities, veterans can come and see the result of their hard work and get the chance to move on to the next level and gain entry to another Dig Site… I think that about sums it up."

"I lost my Level 2 match in the last Tourney," Rosie pitched in. "So I had six months to raise my vivosaurs."

"So _that's _why you had over ten vivosaurs when we first met." Creed realized.

"Yup!"

"Good luck, you'll be fine." Nevada turned away, paused, and glanced back, "Be sure to watch out for trapdoors, eh Creed?" With a laugh the elder Fighter walked away.

Rosie gasped suddenly. "What am I doing standing around here?"

_Is that a rhetorical question?_

"I have to get ready for my Level-Up Battle!" she turned towards the Fossil Stadium but glanced back with a grin. "Creed, hopefully the next time we see each other, we'll both be at a higher level!" she ran off with one final wave and a retreating 'good luck'.

Creed sighed and shook her head. _Always on the move. Does that girl ever sit still?_

At a more leisure pace, she headed towards the Stadium.

/\/\

'_The highest rank they tend to reach is 3__rd__', huh? _Creed mused as she worked on her Fossil Cleaning Exam. _I wonder…will I be like the average Fossil Fighter…or make a new record? What do you guys think?_

_A whirring spiral of wind amidst a backdrop of confident yellows and eager oranges. You are greater than other Fighters!_ Aero and Chicane both sent at once.

_A flurry of dancing flames accented raging reds. Fight, win, we set our enemies ablaze. Wisps of disgusted burgundy. How can they stand against flame and win?_ Ferno seemed to scoff.

_Solid stone rumbled with amused yellows. You are strong, and clever. Scattered flecks of pale green admiration. New Fighters are no challenge for you, you need to advance to find stronger opponents. _

Creed blinked, and then her eyes curved upward in a small smile. _I suppose all I have to worry about, then, is getting an ego the size of Manhattan with all these compliments._

/\/\

"For some reason…I'm not surprised to find you to be my opponent, Nevada." Creed quipped dryly as she stood inside the doorway to the battlefield.

The Level 2 Master laughed. "Nice to see you too, Creed." A grin. "Thanks for your help at the Digadigamid. I would have been in trouble if you hadn't shown up. I should warn you, though." Her eyes sharpened though the grin remained, "Just because I owe you, doesn't mean I can take it easy on you!"

"I'd be insulted if you did."

Nevada chuckled. "We have to make sure that anyone who passes the test really is Level 3 caliber, after all."

"Of course."

"Time to see what level you are, Creed!"

They turned and entered the battlefield, Nevada taking her position on the far side.

"U-Raptor, Lexo, Nychus, time to fight!"

_Two fire vivosaurs and an earth vivosaur, haven't had this combination yet._

At point stood the lexo. Just over four meters long it resembled a variation of a stegosaurus, which means "Roof Lizard". On its starboard flank stood the U-Raptor. The largest of the three vivosaurs, it was just under eight meters long and resembled a red Utahraptor gone Native American, with a feathered war bonnet and war paint-like markings, it could cut quite an imposing figure. The nychus was positioned on the opposing port flank.

_Go._ Creed released her vivosaurs.

Ferno stood point, Aero port flank, and Lethar starboard flank.

_Lethar, you will act as support._ She received faint wisps of acknowledgment as the goyle settled down into a firm stance.

A blink as Creed noticed a slight feeling of heaviness seem to lift up from her shoulders. A thoughtful frown. _That U-Raptor must be playing support as well… Fortunately, Lethar naturally canceled out the restrictions it tried to put on us._ A smirk. _Let's see how this will play out. _

"S-Fang on the lexo."

_Surging flames melded together in a giant wave of avid reds._

A fervent roar, a blurring of red and black.

"Poison Tail!"

"Watch your legs!"

Red lunged, gray spikes blurred, Ferno landed heavily on his side. Creed winced slightly in sympathy as the lexo came out of its 360 spin and let its hind legs settle again.

_That was like Lethar's Body Axe attack…_ Creed noticed. _Oh, Ferno!_

_Partially smothered flames greedily drank in air, pained and disoriented muddy brown-grays were accented by sharp jagged flashes of angry red._

Ferno hissed, pushing back up onto his feet, favoring his wounded leg. A sickly green color lined the three gashes.

_Poison._ Was the grim realization. _We have to finish this quickly._

"S-Combo!" _Beware the shoulder barbs._

"Poison Spin!"

Ferno's powerful kick struck empty air.

_What in the—Aero, move. Quick!_

_Laughing currents danced evasively in starbursts of amused yellow-orange and intrigued wisps of pale blue._

The spike ball spun passed harmlessly as Aero literally danced away.

_That's an interesting sight, I'll have to see if we can hone it in the future—Lethar! Aero, Ferno: to Lethar, quick_!

Creed could feel Lethar's apprehension at the sight of the wrecking ball of poisonous spines careened towards him. But, supporting his comrades as he was, he could do very little.

Green and red blurred, and gray struck, and a cloud of sand was fired into the air.

"What—?"

Creed smirked. Aero grunted.

With a mighty heave, Aero pulled back. The lexo, clasped firmly by its shoulder barbs, squealed loudly as it was yanked along.

Pivot. Redirect. _Throw._

The airborne lexo was met with a brutal S-Combo.

_A burning maelstrom of vindictive reddish purples and malicious flecks of dark red and black. _

_That's a little much._ Creed chided half-heartedly as dust flared up again with the heavy impact of lexo. Inferno glanced at Creed from atop the lexo with a look of incredulity.

A low whine, and then the lexo returned to its Dino Medal.

_Oh!_ Creed's eyes widened. _The poison's gone! It can wear off? Curious… _

Nevada growled. "U-Raptor: U-Venom! Nychus: Nychus Claw!"

_So she's decided to quit with the support tactic? Probably wise, but let's see if it actually helps her…_

"Aero: Spinax Combo!"

A spark of realization flashed through green eyes as the theropod lunged at the charging enemies.

"What do you expect to do? It's two against one!"

A smirk, "Drawing your eyes of course."

"What are you—?"

"Now! S-Combo!"

Claws dug into loose sand as Aero dropped to his knees. Ferno leapt from his shoulders, slamming his feet into the two opposing vivosaurs. Both crashed in undignified heaps as Ferno twisted and landed lightly on his feet.

Creed raised an arm, palm skyward, "Let's wrap this up." She pointed to the two downed vivosaurs, "Finish them." _Use their tails._

Strong jaws clamped down. In unison Ferno and Aero swung back sharply. Spinning once, they released their grips.

A headache inducing _crack_ rang out as the two opposing vivosaurs collided mid-air.

"And for the finale—"

Aero and Ferno loomed over their fallen opponents. In one breath Aero slammed his shoulder down on one, while Ferno delivered a devastating kick to the other. Overwhelmed, both were forced back to their Dino Medals.

_And that's a wrap._

/\/\

"Creed! Congratulations!" Nevada and Creed walked back into the lobby. The former's arm draped over the latter's shoulder. "I've got to admit, you're the better Fighter! Very impressive!"

They reached the desk and Nevada moved to stand in front of Creed. "You have a real knack for this, Creed. I think you've got Master Fighter potential!" a grin. "I'll be keeping an eye on you. Good luck!" With a wave, she turned to leave. "I've got some more research to do at the Digadigamid. Come by and see me sometime." She walked towards the door. "See you around!"

Diggins walked in with a smile on his face. "Congratulations, Creed." A pamphlet and updated Fighter's license were extended. "Starting today you now have permission to go to the Rivet Ravine." Creed accepted the pamphlet and studied it curiously.

"Rivet Ravine, huh? Sounds interesting." A thought suddenly struck her. "Wait a moment." Looking up, she glanced around. "Where's Rosie? I'd have expected her to be bouncing all over the place by now."

A sigh. "Unfortunately, Rosie didn't pass."

Following the scientist's finger, Creed saw Rosie curled up in a corner. A metaphorical dark cloud of gloom hung over her. A muscle under her eye twitched as she heard longing mutters coming from the pinkette, though she couldn't make out what was being said.

She gave Diggins a questioning look. "Couldn't she just take the test over again? She did that last time and eventually passed."

A negative shake. "I'm afraid it isn't that simple." A somewhat hesitant pause. "Her vivosaur's wouldn't listen to a thing she said…I've never heard of such a thing happening before. In any case, we can't let anyone progress in rank if they can't control their vivosaurs"

Creed hummed thoughtfully. "Metal-Dealer Joe probably integrated high-quality fossils into them. They're too strong for Rosie to handle. She's a bit too flighty, they probably don't respect her enough to listen."

A nod. "That's what crossed my mind too."

Another glance at Rosie and Creed sighed. _She's like a puppy…I just can't ignore the 'kicked-dog' attitude she's giving off._

With a polite wave of farewell to Diggins, Creed approached Rosie.

"You're going to Rivet Ravine, right?" The pinkette sighed pathetically without looking at Creed. "There are so many rare fossils in the ravine…"

_This…this is just _sad.

"Rosie, if you're interested, I think I can help you with your vivosaurs."

Rosie's head whipped around, eyes wide.

"I'd be willing to spend the rest of today helping you if you're willing to listen." Creed continued, pointedly looking at the wall rather than the smaller girl.

"You'd…you'd really do that?"

A shrug. "I have to do some training myself. But if you're not interested I'll—" A yelp escaped her as arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

/\/\/\

**A/N**: Alright, in the game you start off with the bare basic supplies needed to find and gather fossils. However, you can only find Skull Fossils and either Arm Fossils or Leg Fossils, depends on which one is randomly picked in that play-through of the game. In order to get the others you have to update your Sonar, but the cost is so darn steep that it's often times tempting to simply upgrade everything else first.

There has to be a reason for that.

Then I remembered that it's after you get the third fossil that a Vivosaur becomes able to use an elemental based attack. That's when it hit me! It's the same concept I went over in chapter four: Vitality Siphoning! Attacks that advanced must take a good chunk out of the reserves, and newbies don't have that kind of endurance right off the bat, in most cases. The price for power. That's why Diggins was annoyed with Travers' actions, had it been anyone else _but_ Creed, it probably would have hospitalized them at best, killed them at worst.

In Fossil Fighters a good portion of Vivosaurs have the nifty ability to either support their allies or hinder their opponent. However, this only works if the Vivosaur doing the supporting/hindering is in the well termed 'Support Zone', and only against Vivosaurs in the Attack Zone. This is possibly the result of the Vivosaur's natural empathy, though just how it works I'm not sure.

Obviously these abilities don't come without drawbacks, mainly the concentration it must take to focus solely on the target in question. Logically this would mean their physical reactions would suffer and they'd be left somewhat vulnerable, so they would remain in the Support Zone to stay out of the line of fire, theoretically.

As shown, Creed's style of fighting doesn't really leave any place safe for her enemies to brace.

On a side note involving that comment on Neutrals, that's just a random idea I had. It made sense when I thought about it, urban areas don't generally cater to one 'element' or the other and is mostly made up of 'neutral' materials such as plastic, glass, metals, and so on. So why _not_ let the Neutrals have some kind of advantage battle ground? All the others have one.


	9. Chapter 3: Mine Cars Are a Go! I

**Chapter 3  
Mine Cars are GO! I**

****"BB Bandit Members Spotted!"

_Members of the notorious BB Bandits_

_were reported to have infiltrated _

_the Digadigamid in Knotwood Forest._

_Thanks to the efforts of Creed,_

_we're told the perpetrators_

_were driven away empty-handed._

_The Bandits were after a mysterious, _

_yet tacky, idol. Their design sense,_

_it seems, is just as mysterious_.

_I wonder if this is going to become a regular thing._ Creed mused, leaning back against soft fur.

Rising sun warmed the Fighter and her vivosaurs' medals as Creed put the paper down on the table and rested her head against Chicane's side.

/\/\

"Good morning, Ms. Peregrine." Dimitri walked up as Creed left the elevator and entered the hotel lobby. "Congratulations on leveling up!"

Creed dipped her head politely. "Thank you."

"I have a message for you, now that you're a Level 3 Fighter."

"Oh?" head tilted slightly, "What is it?"

"There is currently a Fighters' Seminar being held over in Rivet Ravine. Everyone who goes says wonderful things about what they learn, so I strongly recommend it."

"A seminar?" a thoughtful look. "Thank you, I'll look into it." And she would, after she ran a couple errands in town.

/\/\

"Smashing success! Well done, ma'am." KL-33N moved the newly cleaned fossil to the revival chamber. "Please install your Dino Medal." Creed slipped Ferno's Dino Medal into the machine slot. "Commencing integration now."

A flash came from the machine as the fossil was broken up into micro-sized pieces and drawn into Ferno's medal.

_Questioning embers grew into a great inferno of accelerated yellows and invigorated reds. Feels _good_._ The vivosaur sent, sending a mental shudder through the link.

_You have your 3__rd__ Tier attack, now._

_Fire danced with a blend of eager reds and oranges. _

_Wind whispered amidst concerned greens. What about…you?_ Aero sent, remembering the last time Creed had initiated a 3rd Tier attack.

_Don't worry, I'll get stronger, but we'll need to practice in order to find out where my limits are._ "Thank-you, Felic, you've been very helpful."

The machine, now nicknamed Felic, chirred and, if a robot was capable of it, likely would have blushed. "It was an honor, master, like always." A polite bow. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, that's all for now." Creed dipped her head in farewell before leaving the Fossil Center.

"Creed!" Creed jumped slightly.

_How does she do that, honestly?_ "Good morning Rosie, I hope you're well."

The pinkette stumbled over the greeting, appearing surprised, before recovering and grinning up at the taller girl. "I wanted to thank you for all the help yesterday."

A blink, and then a small smile. "You already have," Creed pointed out, "several times now."

"Still," Rosie shifted back and forth, eyes bright, "I don't think I could ever thank you enough." A both curious and questioning glint entered pink eyes, "What are you going to do with the reward money?"

"I used it to upgrade my Fossil Case and to purchase a Fossil Chip."

"Cool!" A pause, "I still can't believe the nerve of that guy!"

_Uh-oh, a Rosie Explosion imminent._

"I mean really, threatening a pair of _kids_ with a _gun!_"

"Well, Captain Bullwort _did_ say that Blambeau is the most dangerous criminal on the island." A pause, "Besides, because of that encounter your vivosaurs listen to you again."

Rosie didn't seem to know whether to keep fuming or feel victorious because of the fact. Creed managed to refrain from smiling at the girl's expression, but couldn't quite hide the curving of her eyes. Finally Rosie seemed to decide how to feel as she suddenly looked up. Creed took a startled step back.

"That was so cool!" She stared up with more than a little hero worship in her eyes, "When you threw him into that tree! And broke his gun, and then knocked him out with that cool ninja trick!"

Recovered, Creed rolled her eyes. "It wasn't anything special. And it wasn't a ninja trick, I just squeezed the nerve at the base of his neck."

"You made it look easy! He was like, five times bigger than you, and you took him down like it was nothing! It was just like those action movies on tv!"

"Alright, that's enough," Creed held up a halting hand. "I have things to do, did you need something?"

"Oh!" A blush and a trace of hesitance, "I was just wondering what Captain Bullwort wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

"Ah, that. He just wanted to ask me a couple questions, how we ran into Blambeau, how we beat him, and how I was doing. Things like that."

"Oh, okay, I'll be going to Knotwood Forest, practicing for my Fossil Battle tomorrow."

A nod. "Alright, good luck. Remember what I showed you yesterday and you shouldn't have any trouble."

Rosie turned away with a wave. "See you later, Creed!"

Watching her go, Creed shook her head almost fondly. Then she turned and made towards the docks.

"Off to Rivet Ravine, then?" Beth queried as Creed approached. "If you want to see the sights, there's a series of tunnels deep in the hills of Rivet Ravine. There's an old man who works back in those tunnels." A frown as Beth tried to remember something, "McJunker's his name. If there's anything you want to know about those tunnels, McJunker's the one to ask. Now then…" the boat pulled up to the docks. "Have a nice trip!"

/\/\

An impressed whistle escaped Creed as she examined the Rivet Ravine. It was beautiful, like a smaller version of the Grand Canyon she had seen pictures of. It was even more breathtaking than the guidebook had hinted at.

_A faint tremor in solid stone. A near solid landscape of awed blue-greens and small streaks of anticipatory oranges. This place…is amazing._ Firma sent.

_Rising currents of warmed air swirled energetically. A landscape of anticipatory oranges with streaks of joyful yellows. Definitely amazing, Creed. I like this place._ Aero agreed.

_Quick gusts of dancing breezes. Joyful splashes of yellow amidst awed landscapes of blue-green faint wisps of hopeful yellow-greens. Can we run, Creed?_ Chicane queried hopefully.

Creed chuckled. _I will let you out shortly. First I need to find where the semin—_

"Okay, listen up, everyone!" Creed jumped. "As soon as you've collected eight, bring them here and we'll do the next part."

_Loud voice…_ Creed followed the voice. _Holy—he could pass for Straus's twin._ Straus being the man whom ran the general store, he had been very helpful when Creed had come in to have her equipment upgraded.

"Hey there!" The man greeted, large, distinctly familiar emerald pendant shining as Creed approached. "You a Fossil Fighter, here to take my seminar?"

"That's right." Creed nodded.

"I'm Sam Inaro." Creed barely suppressed a snicker as her mind flashed back momentarily to Bea Ginner. "I teach seminars to give young Fighters the skills they'll need in their careers. If you wanna attend, I can guarantee you an improvement in your fossil-digging performance."

"That sounds interesting, how do I partake in this seminar?"

A grin. "First, you have to show me what you already know about digging fossils. Bring eight fossil rocks back to me here."

"Does it matter where I get them or what type they are?"

A shrug "Any fossil rocks will do, and you can go outside of Rivet Ravine to collect them if you want."Another grin. "I'll be right here, so come back and see me when you've collected your eight."

/\/\

"That was ridiculous!"

Sam glanced up as the red head fighter returned. Bemused, he noticed how she seemed quite annoyed. "Something wrong?"

Aquamarine locked on him, an exasperated look on her face. "I found three Jewel Rocks, and every time I dug one up someone would jump out of the blasted _crevices in the wall_ to challenge me for them! Every. Single. Time! Just like when I found them back in the Greenhorn Plains and Knotwood Forest!"

"Probably members of the Paragon Seekers."

An eyebrow arched. "Pardon?"

"Oh, they're an organization on the island that specializes in seeking out the precious stones in the Jewel Rocks. They hide out with sonar specially tuned to Jewel Rocks, though they can only detect them after someone uncovers one. When someone does, one of their members will challenge them for the Jewel Rock. They especially like diamonds and pearls, which is why they go by 'Paragon'. I heard they have an outpost somewhere in every dig site, though I don't think anyone's ever found one."

The girl frowned thoughtfully at this information.

"So have you got your eight fossil rocks?"

A look of slight surprise, then the girl nodded and held out her fossil case to prove it.

"Great." A smile. "You've proven that you can find and dig up fossil rocks. That's a good start. Keep up the good work. Mind if I take one out?"

"Um, no, go right on ahead."

Sam randomly chose one of the fossils and removed it from the case, setting it on the ground beside him. He paused, and then gave the girl a warning look. "Now…my teaching methods are a little…unusual." The girl gave him a curious but resolute look. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

_Oh I love this part!_ Sam thought almost giddily. He leapt back sharply.

"Get ready for it!" A sharp step to the side. "Here it comes!" Swerved around to the area behind the girl. "The fire hose of knowledge, going straight into your brain!" Hand shot out. Emerald flashed. The girl whipped around to face him. "Alakazooieee!"

A blast of lightning-like energy flashed from the ring on Sam's hand and struck the girl.

/\/\

…_Ouch…_

Blinking stars from her eyes, Creed swayed unsteadily on her feet.

…_Rosie wasn't kidding, that _does_ hurt._

"You wouldn't per-chance be acquainted with the Digadig Chieftain in Knotwood, would you?" _Your pendant reminds me of the head of the Chieftain's staff._

A laugh. "He's the one who taught me that trick."

"…Figures." Creed straightened up with a groan, vision still mostly black and white. "So…what did that do, anyway?"

"I buried the fossil rock you gave me while you were still stunned. Dig it up and see for yourself."

_O…kay…odd, but let's see where this goes._ Creed blinked. _…Green? What in the…?_

"You're body's now permanently magnetized with a charge that coats fossils with a colored shell upon unearthing. They're the same as the fossil rocks you've been digging up all along. The only difference being is that now you can distinguish five different colors."

"Five different…the vivosaur affinities?"

A nod. "That's it exactly. Red, green, yellow, blue, and white, so any fossil you dig up from now on will appear the same color type as the fossil inside." A laugh. "You can use this new ability to help you find only the fossil rocks you're actually looking for. So we're done now. Good luck out there!"

/\/\

"Commencing revival."

Creed watched the trio of fossils she had just cleaned, including the odd green one she had unburied with Sam Inaro, began to generate her second vivosaur of the day.

The fossils broke apart into dust, whipping about the revival chamber like a sandstorm. Then, the vivosaur within took form.

_A timid whisper of wind amidst a background of lethargic washed out grays and disoriented muddy browns and brown-reds._

Violet-gray eyes opened blearily.

_The whisper grew into a slight breeze as the muddy colors warmed in a gradually ascending spiral of alert reds and questioning wisps of pale orange._

Transfixed, Creed stepped forward and lay a hand against the glass. "Beautiful…" A soft whisper of awe.

_A soft whir amidst a predominately confused landscape of red-browns with larger streaks of questioning pale oranges._

Aquamarine met violet-gray. _Hello, beautiful._ Creed sent gently.

_A startled gust. Surprised starbursts of pale blue amidst more prominent layers of inquiring pale oranges with a trace of apprehensive pale green._

Creed hardly noticed the glass incasing the vivosaur recede.

_It is alright._ Soft assurances. _I will not hurt you._

Angular head tilted on a long swan-like neck. A silent question.

_Will you be mine?_ A hand raised in offering.

A blink, spear-like beak lowered, timidly nudging the outstretched limb. Taking it as confirmation, Creed began stroking it tenderly, eventually raising her other hand to it as well.

_A soft breath of cool wind. An expanse of serene yellows and trusting pale greens. Who are you?_

_I am Creed, and you are my Mistral._

/\/\

_This is, amazing._ Wind stringing through loose hair and clothing, Creed inhaled deeply from astride Mistral.

The coatlus, at least thirteen meters in length and an even broader wingspan, sailed effortlessly over the currents of air they traveled. Predominately white, she resembled, in regards to her physical markings, pictures of the legendary North American thunder bird. The feathered serpent, as its name, "quetzalcoatlus", translated to, hardly needed to flap her powerful wings to cover rapid distances.

A gentle touch to the graceful neck, and the majestic pterosaur banked gently and angled towards the cliffs of Rivet Ravine.

Giant wings furled as rocky ledges reached and passed them. A slight adjustment of the spear line beak and their trajectory changed. Within moments, the feathered serpent was alighting gently on the ravine floor, just outside a cave mouth and conspicuously placed VMM Creed had observed from above.

Regretfully sliding off the bowed back, Creed sent a warm current of gratitude to her newest vivosaur before recalling her to her Dino Medal.

"Must be the tunnels Beth mentioned." Creed mused softly.

Pickaxe refolded to its proper shape as Creed held it loosely in her grip, resting it against her shoulder as she examined the immediate area curiously. Briefly bringing out her sonar and detecting a fossil buried only a few yards away, Creed strode over to unearth it.

A blur of white. The pickaxe was torn from her grip.

Creed spun around, bending her knees in preparation for a fight.

_A v-raptor?_

Indeed, the swift thief held the missing pickaxe gripped in its teeth.

"Hey!"

Turning, Creed's eyes widened in recognition.

"This is private property. Get out!"

"Hello Holt."

The other Fighter looked rather taken aback. "Oh! It's you again!"

"Would you mind getting my pickaxe?"

Helmeted head shook with a frown. "Once a v-raptor sinks its teeth into something it never lets go. Besides, you're trespassing."

"I apologize, blame it on my ignorance of the fact. I'd like my pickaxe back, please."

"Sorry, you need to leave first."

"That's a bit counterproductive, if I leave I still don't get my pickaxe back."

"Go away."

"Not without my pickaxe."

"Get out!"

"You're being quite ru—" a flash of light interrupted as Chicane let himself out, as he was prone to do, and tackled the other v-raptor.

Just as quickly, he was prancing back with the pickaxe in his jaws. Creed couldn't help but snigger as the swift thief dropped the tool in her hand much like a dog fetching a stick. Reaching up, she scratched his jaw line. The vivosaur purred happily.

"You have a v-raptor?"

Creed glanced back at Holt. "Yes, what of i—" Sudden impact cut off the rest of the sentence as Holt grabbed her in a flying hug. The startled girl stumbled back. Only Chicane moving to brace her let her remain mostly upright.

"If you've got a v-raptor, then we're pals!"

Taken aback, Creed could not follow the boy's train of thought.

"Pardon?"

"V-raptors are so great! McJunker says that v-raptors hate liars, so you should only trust people who can keep them."

_Alright…I don't really get it, but I'll go with it._

/\/\

"Holt tells me you want to dig here."

"Yes sir."_ Though neither Beth nor the guidebook said anything about the tunnels being private property._

A laugh. "I'm McJunker, and I like a lass who appreciates v-raptors. You have my permission to enter the dig site." A pause.

_I sense a 'but' coming on…_

"But first you have to fix my cart." An agitated gesture towards a pile of broken wood and metal wheels and axels.

Holt's eyes widened in shock. "What happened, boss?"

"Some creeps in purple suits came in and smashed all my cars! The only way into Tunnel #5," a glance at a dark tunnel, "is by mine car." A pause, and then, "It's my own private dig site. There are some very rare fossils in there, so I have to be careful who I let in."

_Purple suits? _"That's understandable." Creed nodded. "But can't you just repair the car?"

"I can't!" a frustrated hiss. "My tools have been stolen! How am I supposed to fix my car without tools?"

"That's awful! Who would do something like that?" Holt cried out, eyes wide.

"I have a suspicion…" Creed hummed. "Holt, why don't you go look through the other tunnels for the missing tools. If the culprits are who I think they are, then the tools should be around here somewhere. I'll go into the tunnel and see what's going on, with Mr. McJunker's permission of course."

A nod. "Please, do whatever you can."

"Right!" Holt nodded and turned to run down one of the tunnels. "I'll find those tools in no time!"

They watched him go, and then McJunker frowned. "How will you get through? There're no mine cars for you to use."

Creed glanced at the still intact wheels and axels, and then at Chicane. She smirked. "Oh, I have a couple ideas in mind."


	10. Chapter 3: Mine Cars Are a Go! II

**Mine Cars are GO! II**

"Now where do you suppose that idol is? We're runnin' out of places to look!"

A sound of shuffling feet.

Snivels suddenly went into a sharp spin cycle as Rex darted past without any warning. Shaking his head dizzily, the man sent the oblivious canine a reproachful look.

A patch of dirt caught the man's eye and he pulled out his pickaxe. Raising it up, he swung down—

_Wham!_

—A disoriented blink from the dirt as colors flashed across his vision.

A pitiful whine of apology from the offending canine.

Wobbly, Snivels got to his feet, teetering dangerously. The new bruise on his side throbbed uncomfortably. "Hey, dig here, boy." A sharp gesture to the patch of dirt. "Come on."

"When are you two idiots going to stop clowning around?"

Both jumped at the thoroughly annoyed tone. Their eyes slid to Vivian.

Arms on her hips, the woman glared.

The sound of crunching dirt caught their attention. All three turned—

—and gave mirroring starts as Creed strode up nonchalantly, arms folded casually behind her back.

"Hey there." Was the almost pleasant greeting. "Fancy meeting you three here."

An enraged look. Snivels wilted.

"Snivels!" Snivels seemed to shrink in size. "Explain to me what exactly is going on here? Weren't you supposed to take the mine cars out of commission?"

An apprehensive look flashed through dark eyes. "Yeah, that's right, Vivian." An anxious nod. "And I did it, just like we planned. I even went a step further and stole McJunker's tools so he can't fix it! Heh."

A suspicious look. "And what did you do with the tools after you stole them?"

A wary glance, but slowly rising confidence. "I gave 'em to Rex to hide." An affirmative bark. "Yeah, and buried them where no one'll find 'em!"

Palm smacked loudly against banged forehead. Creed sniggered softly.

"Yes. On this island full of Fighters trained to _dig up buried objects_, no one will ever find them now." Dark eyes widened as Snivels realized his folly. "Idiot." The blond wilted again.

Blue-green eyes landed on Creed as Vivian advanced closer. "You! You wouldn't dare interfere in our business, would you?"

A smirk. "I would, I could, I do, now what will you _do_ about it?"

A frown, a studying look. "Well, well. You're either brave or too stupid to understand the situation." A pause. "…Let's go with stupid," Creed shrugged nonchalantly. Vivian looked sharply at her subordinates, "You two—get her!"

Rex and Snivels lunged forward.

/\/\

_Two against one, eh? …I still like my odds._

Rex's nodo stood at point. At starboard flank stood a red bipedal, vaguely sauropod-like, vivosaur, called a zino, which stretched a length of almost eleven meters, its long neck had to stoop almost double to avoid contact with the cavern ceiling. Derived from a therizinosaurus, meaning "Scythe Lizard", its fore claws were almost as long as Creed was tall, and undoubtedly sharp. It possessed a fire-affinity.

At port flank stood a large blue theropod. Derived from a ceratosaurus, meaning "Horned Lizard", it stood at only six meters long and possessed a wind-affinity.

"Firma, Lethar…and Torrent." The three vivosaurs appeared

_Water's tide, pushing and pulling continuously. Anticipatory oranges and aggressive reds swelled and receded with flecks of calculating pale orange. They will be swept away._ A resolute promise.

Torrent roared loudly as he appeared. An alectro, he was the first vivosaur Creed had revived earlier. However, with Mistral's revival, she had almost completely forgotten about him.

_Hey…that's odd…_ A frown._ My vision seems sharper, my body lighter…but Lethar increases attack and accuracy, not accuracy and evasion…_ Aquamarine landed on the scythe lizard. _Perhaps…I'll have to tell Dr. Diggins about this._

A bark, and the nodo dropped its front legs and raised its tail.

_Move!_ Creed sent as sudden gusts of wind careened towards her vivosaurs.

Firma and Torrent evaded, but Lethar was struck dead-center.

_Wild bursts of wind, updrafts, downdrafts, spirals, and more. A sudden descending spiral of disoriented browns._

Creed swayed slightly at the sudden feeling of vertigo coming from Lethar. _Confusion._ She realized. _Don't move!_

_A faint wisp of acknowledging colors amidst jumbled browns and other gradually muting colors. Twice, don't have, tell…_

Creed shook off the dizziness and forced herself to tune out the fused lizard's delirium. "Venator Bite!" _We can't let it fire another attack like that._

"Cerato Fang on Venator!" Snivels yelled as Rex barked commands of his own.

Both vivosaurs lunged on collision courses, though with different targets.

The sound of teeth on flesh. A pained bugle.

"What the—how?"

Torrent released the downed cerato.

Firma grabbed the nodo and, like in their original fight, flung it hard into the unforgiving wall.

"But water vivosaurs can't hurt wind vivosaurs!"

"It may cause less damage." Creed brushed a strand of hair from her face. "But it's easy to land a hit when one's eyes are drawn away. Firma: Finish it."

Firma lunged again, ramming his shoulder into the nodo's unprotected belly. The fused lizard's dino medal bounced across the dirt floor.

Movement caught Creed's eye. "Torrent: Evade!"

A nimble leap and powerful jaws caught nothing but dirt. Growling, the cerato spat out the dirt and straightened up.

"Venator Combo."

A frantic bark.

_Solid ground rumbled and invoked a landslide of focused yellow-orange accented by streaks of aggressive red-oranges._ Motion in green peripheral vision. _A tremor, yellow-orange landslide was suddenly broken up by jagged streaks of surprised pale blue._

Firma dropped, scythe claws passed harmlessly overhead.

Creed stared in disbelief, a feeling echoed by all her vivosaurs as the zino swung again and missed by a large margarine. _Its aim is terrible…_

A snap of fingers. Blue flared and white fangs flashed as Torrent's jaws clamped down over the scythe lizard's vulnerable neck. Brown connected with blue and orange, repeating the latter's earlier acquaintance with the ground.

Two Dino Medals struck and bounced across the floor.

"No way!" Blonde and canine leapt back, eyes wide.

Vivian stepped forward. "I'll take this opportunity to," she held up a Dino Medal, "take my revenge from before! Go: Carchar!"

_Oh, Hoinigen…this is _not_ good_._ That is _big.

Derived from one of the largest theropod dinosaurs, the carcharodontosaurus, which means "Sharp Toothed Lizard", the carchar filled the entire cavern. Its yellowish coloration betrayed its earth-affinity.

"Come back!" Creed catching the Dino Medals as her vivosaurs obeyed. "Discretion is the better part of valor."

Turning, she ran back towards the tracks.

"Giving up so soon, girl? You'll never outrun us!" Creed glanced back to see the BB Bandits leaping into their stolen cart and giving chase. The carchar crawling behind them like an iguana. "We've got the only cart!"

"Chicane!"

The swift thief appeared out of the shadows beside her, an axel with wheels in his claws.

"It's all downhill from here!" Snivels crowed. "So we'll catch up in no time!"

Gripping soft fur, Creed swung onto his back. Metal struck metal.

"What are you doing?" Vivian blinked in shock. "She rode her v-raptor down the track? Impossible!" Her eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "The tunnel! It's narrowing!"

A low moan made the trio look back in horror. "Carchar, is stuck!"

A chuckle made them slowly look back. The sight before them drained their faces of blood.

"Bigger does not always mean better." Creed chided, arms crossed as she stood next to Ferno, "And in a small tunnel like this, that definitely applies." She rested her hand on the theropod's ankle, eyes alight. "S-Fury!"

Lungs expanded and flames licked open maw. Ferno roared and exhaled, a stream of fire shooting out.

Carchar howled at the searing heat.

Creed glanced over at Chicane. "Lethal Poison."

The swift thief opened his jaws and fired the green-tinted cyclone. Wind melded with rampant flames. The entire tunnel rocked violently in the following explosion, just as Creed had predicted.

Panting and fighting off a faint feeling of vertigo, she waited for the dust to clear.

The carchar and the bandits were gone.

A glimmer of mild concern. _I forgot they'd get caught in the explosion._ A faint niggling of guilt. _I'd better see if they're still alive…_

"Thank you, Ferno, that'll be all for now." Catching the dropping Dino Medal, Creed got on Chicane and guided him back down the tunnel.

There was no sign of them, even when she backtracked all the way back to the cavern. Somewhat bemused, Creed dismounted again and looked around quizzically. _Well, there are no bodies and no blood splatters…so they probably got out alright…though how they managed to do so I couldn't begin to guess._

_A flurry of wind amidst surprised pale blues accented by curious light greens. Creed, there is something here._

Turning, she saw Chicane nudging a small mound of dirt with his nose. Intrigued, Creed walked over and brushed the dirt away.

…_another one?_ She blinked. _This must be what they were looking for._ She pulled a corpulent idol out of the dirt. It was predominately the same color as the other one, only with pinkish accents rather than blue.

A slight frown marred her face. _Something strange is brewing…_

/\/\

"Hey Creed!" Stepping onto the dock, Creed greeted Rosie with a nod. "Are you going to go for the Level-Up Battles now?"Creed nodded. "Great, so am I!" a grin. "I just got back from Knotwood Forest." The two Fighters headed towards the stadium. "Did anything interesting happen in Rivet Ravine?"

"I ran into the BB Bandits again."

"What?"

"They were causing trouble in one of the tunnels."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, an acquaintance and I helped stop and fix the damage caused."

"An acquaintance?"

Creed held out a photo Holt and McJunker had insisted on taking as a reminder of their victory. "His name's Holt, I've met him a couple of times."

Stars appeared in Rosie's eyes. "This Holt guy is kinda cute." She giggled. "I have a feeling I'm gonna pass the next test to go to Rivet Ravine!" Creed blinked, then rolled her eyes as she took the photo back.

They entered the stadium side-by-side. Newly inspired motivation lightened Rosie's steps while Creed strode ahead with cool confidence.

/\/\

"Congratulations on passing your cleaning test!" Tiffany applauded as Creed walked up to the desk. "Next is your Fossil Battle test." A nod. "For this Fossil Battle test, you'll have two battles—a preliminary battle and a final battle."

An eyebrow arched. _Oh? This sounds interesting._

"For the preliminary battle, you'll face off against a normal Fighter—someone else trying to level up. Assuming you win, you'll return here to the lobby after your preliminary battle. Then you'll face a Level Master for your final battle." A smile. "You will level up if you defeat the Level Master." A gesture to the side door. "When you're ready, go on through the door to your right to the Battle Area."

With another nod, Creed walked through the aforementioned door. She paused, and blinked. _You know…I really should expect this by now…_

"You and me battling it out at the Fossil Stadium?" Holt's eyes were bright. "This is great!" A determined look. "You beat me last time, but I've been practicing, so don't expect me to drop so easily this go-round." A clever smirk. "I've been working on my strategy, and I think I've got what it takes this time! Let's battle!"

/\/\

"Coatlus, Tricera, Pachy!" Holt threw his Dino Medals.

Creed's eyes lingered on the white pterosaur before turning her attention to the unfamiliar yet familiar vivosaur standing point.

As long as Aero was, from beak to tail, the tricera was a blue triceratops, hints the name, which literally meant "Three Horned Face".

"Firma, Ferno, Lethar."

Her own vivosaurs appeared, Firma taking point. The slight restriction caused by the pachy went hardly noticed.

"Tricera: Running Smash on Goyle. Coatlus: Wing Cutter on Venator!"

A blink. That's_ his idea of strategy? Does he even know about how to take advantage of elemental traits? Oh well, we'll see._ "Firma, Lethar, brace for impact!" _Ferno, get ready._

The tricera charged, Lethar turned at an angle, absorbing the blow with little effort. Spade-like tail blurred, and Tricera reared back, blinded.

The coatlus dived down. Firma grunted as he took a blow down his shoulder and side, offending wing tips surprisingly sharp.

Red flashed, the coatlus let out a piercing cry as it was stuck with powerful talons and slammed into the ground. Creed winced, running a finger across Mistral's Dino Medal. She reluctantly sent the next command. "Firma, finish it!" She looked away as a heavy brown tail slammed down on the fallen feathered serpent, leaving its Dino Medal buried in the sand.

A pained bugle.

Creed's eyes widened. _Lethar!_

Arms quickly raised up to fend off a sudden wave of sand as the fused lizard crashed just in front of her.

"Finish it off, Tricera: Running Smash!"

Armored head struck, Lethar was flung into the air. His Dino Medal landed in Creed's limp hands. Eyes wide, Creed shuddered, a surge of fatigue washing over her. She swayed slightly and the feeling vanished. Head shook back and forth and then aquamarine eyes hardened.

"Ferno: S-Combo!"

The tricera cried out as taloned feet struck home. The three-horned-lizard crashed heavily onto its side.

"Firma: Finish it!" the theropod lunged.

"Pachy: Iron Ram!"

Firma was sent sprawling across the sand as the thick-skulled lizard collided with his head. Creed's brows furrowed. "Ferno: S-Fury!"

An earsplitting scream as a torrent of flames engulfed the pachy. Its Dino Medal landed in the sand, still smoking.

"Tricera: Running Smash! Quick!"

Recovered, the tricera charged like a living battering ram.

"Firma, stand and take it!"

Claws shot out and gripped piercing horns, feet dug into loose sand. Despite the sudden resistance, the tricera didn't stop.

Firma cried out as he slammed into the wall of the arena, horns digging into his chest.

_Ground ruptured, pain dulled everything washed out gray, sharp spikes of angry red highlighted with jagged blacks._

Teeth sank into armored frill. The crowd gasped. Firma arched up, taking the tricera with him. A heave, and the three-horned –lizard was sent flying. Sand sprayed up in a thick dust cloud as the tricera crashed into the arena.

Firma stumbled, and fell forward.

_Stone crumbled, pained grays spiraled downward into numbing blacks._

A Dino Medal landed softly in the sand. Ferno roared in fury.

_An inferno roared, a raging maelstrom of frenzied reds and hateful jagged blacks. No!_

Creed reeled, a wave of vertigo and blinding lights flashed over her vision. _Firma!_ Fingers gripped temple and pulled auburn hair, palm covering one eye.

_Agonizing heat spear-pointed sharp arrows of raging aggressive red-oranges and lashes of loathing burgundy. Burn! Reduce to cinders! _

Hand pulled away and pointed at the tricera. "S-Fang!"

Sand sprayed. Ferno snarled.

"Tricera: Move!"

The tricera side-stepped and time seemed to slow. Ferno mid-air, narrowly missed the tricera by inches.

Creed smirked. "Now!"

Ferno's head twisted as he passed the tricera's flank. Razor-lined maw opened as a blast of white-hot fire encased the other vivosaur.

Steam filled the arena as the tricera bugled in agony.

Sand sprayed again as Ferno righted himself and skidded to a stop. The steam cloud dissipated, revealing a badly scalded but not yet defeated tricera.

"Finish it: S-Fang!"

"Tricera, you have to move!"

Ferno loomed over the three-horned-lizard, yellow eyes gleaming contemptuously. A snarl, sharp teeth sunk into vulnerable flesh behind bony shield. One final moan, and then the tricera's Dino Medal landed in the sand.

_Fire banked abruptly,_ the sudden lack of a previously unnoticed pull made Creed lurch forward, _heat receded and furious maelstrom calmed to an orange-red-violet of malicious satisfaction._

Creed quivered, eyes wide, as all the raging aggression faded, leaving her feeling cold and frail The raging _need_ for vengeance and the _pain_ for fallen comrades—

She shook her head. _What…what was _that_?_

The fury that had driven her floundered, leaving her with a jumbled mess of,_ what the heck was I _doing?

Ferno let out a coarse cough and Creed just managed to catch his medal as he dismissed himself.

Holt approached her with slack jawed shock. Creed quickly reeled in her composure, standing stiff-backed as the two Fighters left the arena.

/\/\

"Well, shoot!" Holt seemed to recover himself as they entered the lobby. "I lost again…" A pause, and then he shrugged. "Oh well. I'm sure we'll battle again someday, right? I'll keep practicing!"

Creed nodded. "Good luck."

"Congratulations!" Tiffany applauded as Creed approached the front desk. "Next up is the Level Master—the final battle!" she paused, suddenly looking apologetic. "Unfortunately, the Level Master chosen to fight you has been delayed. He should be here in half an hour or so…so if you want to take a break you should have the time."

_I need to eat._ Creed thought wearily. _I feel burned out…_ "Thank you, I'll do that."

/\/\

"Hello, Creed."

Aquamarine glanced up from her meat sub-sandwich. Mouth full, she dipped her head politely as Dr. Diggin's pulled up a seat and sat down at the table.

"Taking a break between matches?" A nod, Creed took another large bite. A concerned look crossed the scientist's face. "Are you alright? Is something wrong, you look rather pale."

Creed pause, and then swallowed what was in her mouth. A slight grimace crossed her face the large chunk of food forced her throat to expand somewhat painfully in order to handle it. "You…remember when you told me about the T-Rex?"

A nod. "Yes, why?"

"I can sympathize with the Fighter now."

A sudden look of alarm. "What? Are you okay?"

Creed shrugged. "Ferno just got a little out of hand, that's all." A pause, aquamarine met cyan. "The thing is, though, that I didn't realize what was happening until the fight was over."

"What happened, do you know what caused it?"

A nod. "Lethar and Firma were overwhelmed in the fight…that's never happened before. I wasn't expecting the fatigue or vertigo that followed their defeats. While I was off balance, Ferno struck with a one track mind." A pause. "He…pulled at my emotions and my fear for my vivosaurs and blended it with his fury…I think that's how it was, anyway… And I got carried along in this wave of anger, thinking it was my own. When Ferno calmed down, the wave receded and I felt burned out."

A contemplating, though still concerned, look. "That sounds much like what the Fighter described with the T-Rex. It—"

"Wanted to burn everything." Creed interrupted, "Wanted to strike out at the world before it could be struck at first."

"—yes, that's it exactly." A pause. "You said you felt burned out? Was it like when you had Chicane use his 3rd Tier ability, or like after your fight with Medal-Dealer Joe?"

"…No…more like…" Creed fumbled for the right words. "…emotional fatigue, like when a child throws a tantrum and then falls asleep afterwards…"

Despite himself, Diggins looked greatly intrigued. "Interesting…so you're saying Ferno synchronized his emotions with yours and dragged you along for the ride?"

A nod. "In a nutshell, yes."

A silence followed. Creed took several more bites of her sandwich before a thought struck her. "I almost forgot." She said after swallowing. "I ran into an interesting vivosaur back in Rivet Ravine, it had an ability you might find curious."

"Oh? Which vivosaur was it?"

"I believe it was called a zino. It remained in the rear lines of the fight until near the end, acting as a supporter. The funny thing was that it supported _my _vivosaurs, increased their accuracy and evasion to be exact."

"Really?" A curious gleam. "I'll have to look into that, thank you for telling me. Now…why would a vivosaur support its opponents…maybe if—" the scientist stood, still muttering to himself, and then wandered away.

Creed watched him go before chuckling fondly. Without another thought, she finished the remainder of her sandwich.

/\/\

"You did it, missy!"

_You know, I think I can probably predict my future Level Master opponents if it keeps going like this._

"But I can't say I'm surprised. After all, anyone with your skills at finding and fighting was going to make it here."

"You're the Level 3 Master, am I right Mr. McJunker?"

"Hey, enough with the 'mister' stuff." A smile. "But yes, I am." Smile broadened into a grin. "Now you'll have to beat me, or you'll never be a Level 4 Fighter."

"I think I can manage." A sly smile.

McJunker laughed and then held up a warning finger. "Don't think I'll go easy on you, either. My vivosaur team is a force to be reckoned with, so watch out!"

"Duly noted."

The two Fighters entered the arena.

"Enough talking," McJunker yelled across the battlefield, pulling out three Dino Medals. "Let's battle. Stygi, Cerato, Kentro, come out!"

While the first two Creed had seen before, the third was new.

Just over five meters long, kentro was an air-affinity vivosaur from the same family as the stegosaurus. Sharp quills replaced parallel plates halfway down its back, making it a deviation of the kentrosaurus, meaning "Prickle Lizard", due to the afore mentioned quills.

Silently, Creed released Firma, Torrent, and Aero. Her gaze held on Firma, who glanced back at her upon feeling her look.

_Supporting stone bracing a soft landscape of soothing blues. I am alright, Creed, don't worry._

Relaxing slightly, Creed turned her attention to her opponents.

"Firma: Venator Bite. Torrent, Aero, cover him!"

"Cerato Combo! Whirling Dash! Fiendish Ram!"

Sand exploded. Both sides charged each other.

At point, Firma and the cerato collided, bashing their heads together like a pair of mountain goats. The stygi barreled towards Aero like a rocket.

_You know what to do, Aero._

The theropod sent faint wisps of acknowledgment and dropped to his belly as the thick-head-lizard neared. The stygi passed overhead harmlessly, and Aero struck. A startled yip, followed by a howl of alarm sounded as the stygi was flung high into the air and temporarily out of the fight.

_Torrent, evade—don't retaliate!_

Easily avoiding the razorblade ball, Torrent froze mid-lunge upon hearing Creed's command. It tossed back a demanding glance.

_The spikes on its shoulders._ Understanding dawned and Torrent nodded.

"Firma: fall back!" _Then use your tail._ Firma pulled back, the cerato overbalanced—

"Fiendish Missile!"

"Above!"

_A sudden rumble of a rolling boulder rocked alarmed streaks of red._

Firma twisted, cerato fell, and a flaming missile slammed into the sand between the two of them. A cloud of dust shot up.

"Spike Tail!"

A pained hiss as sharp quills sunk into thick hide. Firma stumbled and crashed into the sand as the kentro withdrew its tail.

Dust cleared, a slightly disoriented stygi crawled out of its crater. Sharp fangs flashed. A loud cry as Torrent reared back and slammed the thick-skulled-lizard back into the ground. Its Dino Medal slid back into the crater.

A hint of movement and then Torrent crashed heavily into the crater as well. The cerato snorted and straightened up—

—only to be slammed by Aero's shoulder.

"Rotate!"

Muscled frames twisted and Firma and Aero passed each other. Firma clamped down on cerato while Aero bit down on one of the kentro's shoulder spikes. In unison, they pivoted and spun. At the peak of their twist, they released their grips.

Creed winced sympathetically at the mid-air collision that followed.

Both Dino Medals dropped to the arena floor.

McJunker stared in astonishment before laughing out loud. "Congratulations, missy."

They retrieved their vivosaurs and returned to the lobby.

"I'm impressed." McJunker continued. "Beating me is no easy feat, frankly. Well done!" A grin. "My apprentice Holt has been improving steadily, but you're in a league all by yourself."

Creed fought down rising warmth. "I don't know. He gave me quite a hard time when we had our match." She said honestly.

McJunker laughed. "Oh, you fought Holt, did you? All the same, keep digging and reviving, and soon you'll be in a major league of your own!" he held out a new Fossil License. "All right, you are officially certified as a Level 4 Fighter, Creed." He laughed again. "Like I said back in Rivet Ravine, you're twice the Fighter in half the size of most of the adults on this island." He turned and began walking away. "If you ever feel like visiting, you can find me over in the Junk Depot!"

"Congratulations, Creed!" Rosie greeted as she trotted up. "I won my 3rd Level battle and decided to try for my 4th." she shifted from foot to foot somewhat nervously. "…I'm nervous."

"You should relax." Creed offered, awkwardly patting Rosie on the shoulder. "If you keep focusing on your doubts, you'll handicap yourself and guarantee a loss. Just put one foot in front of the other, curse if you have to, and just press forward."

Rosie straightened up slightly at the encouragement. "Alright. But seriously, Creed…great job. Seems like you're always one step ahead of me!" A challenging gleam accompanied by a laugh. "Better watch out, though. I'm hot on your heels!"

Creed smiled, "I'll hold you to that."

Rosie returned the smile, then pink eyes suddenly zeroed in on something on Creed's side.

"Hey, what's that?" Before the elder Fighter could stop her, the pinkette yanked the idol out of Creed's backpack. "You got another one of those weird idols?" She set the eighteen inch figurine on the front desk to study it.

"It was in the cave where I ran into the BB Bandits. I think they were looking for it."

"What in the world are these things?" Rosie examined it intently. "And why are they so tacky."

The corner of Creed's mouth twitched as she picked up the idol and slid it back into her backpack. "Maybe we'll find out sometime."

Rosie hummed. "Well, I gotta get going for my Level-Up Battle." Walking around Creed, she gave one last wave before walking towards the door to the arena. "Wish me luck!"

/\/\/\

**A/N**: And now you see the downside to having such a strong bond with vivosaurs. While the Fighter has better control over their vivosaur, the vivosaur, in turn, can control their Fighter to an extent. It takes a strong will to resist the influence, Creed was overwhelmed because she had never experienced something like that before and didn't recognize it.

You've already seen how Ferno influenced Creed, that's the instinctive Fire-Type vivosaur strategy. They amplify your emotions and strengthen your impulses, basically something like a blind rage. That's why Creed felt 'burned out' afterwards. You know how after a bad temper tantrum a baby usually falls asleep, or after you lose your temper, or hold onto it, you feel worn out? That's what happened.

The other types influence other aspects of someone's character, but you'll have to wait and see what those are.


	11. Chapter 4: Woolbeard the Pirate I

**Chapter 4  
Woolbeard the Pirate**

"McJunker Enraged!"

_A number of mine cars were_

_Destroyed in Rivet Ravine…_

_Mine-car owner McJunker was enraged _

_when he discovered the tools _

_required to fix them were stolen._

_However, the tools were recovered _

_by Holt, and the mine cars AND _

_McJunker were made much happier._

_Well what-do-you-know? I'm not mentioned this time… That's quite a relief, actually._

/\/\

"Ah, glad you're here, Creed. I've got some good news for you."

Creed glanced away from the idols on her shelf as Diggins walked into her room.

"The Fossil Cannon is finally finished! About time too. The attendant was getting…" a pause as Diggins looked for the right word, "antsy waiting for it. It's set up over in the Park Area. Check it out when you get the chance!" he turned with a wave. "Alrighty then…good luck!"

_That was…random…_Creed blinked slowly as the scientist left as quickly as he had arrived.

/\/\

"So where to?"

"Knotwood Forest."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Oh, nothing much, just something I want to look into."

/\/\

_How irksome,_ Creed mused as she dug up and then reburied another fossil rock. _Why is it that they're all over the place when I'm looking for fossils, but nowhere to be found when I'm specifically looking for them?_ A sigh. _Maybe I should try Rivet Ravine again—_

"_Jewel Rock: Found."_

—_well that certainly took long enough._ A casual scan of the immediate area, _Three, two, one—_

"Uh-oh! Looks like we both want the same rock!" R_ight on cue. _"Any Fighter worth his fossils will settle something like this with a Fossil Battle!"

"Fine by me." She couldn't _quite_ keep the amusement from lacing her voice, but the other Fighter didn't seem to notice it.

"Spinax, Nychus: Go!"

"Torrent, Firma, front and center." _Don't hurt them _too_ badly._

"Spinax Fang on Alectro! Nychus Claw on Venator!"

Creed's two theropods _actually_ exchanged bored glances before reacting.

The spinax lunged, maw wide—

—missed as Torrent nimbly sidestepped and retaliated with a sharp bite to the neck. A Dino Medal bounced across the dirt.

The nychus leapt towards Firma. Its claws raised high. Too high, Firma slammed his head into exposed torso and the terrible claw vivosaur flew backwards—

—right into Torrent's awaiting jaws.

The other Fighter paled and promptly fled.

…_He forgot his vivosaurs._

Amused, Creed recalled Torrent and Firma and quickly retrieved the other two medals.

_Laughing wind amidst amused reds and greens._

Creed glanced back at Chicane as the swift thief came up parallel with her. Quickly mounting, Creed set out after the other Fighter.

/\/\

_Darn it! I'm one of the strongest Fighters in Knotwood, and that girl cut my vivosaurs down as if they weren't even there! _Marquis thought as he ran all the way to the Knotwood base.

Sliding to a halt just outside the hidden entrance, he doubled over to try and catch his breath. After a moment, he opened the door and slipped in. Quiet as a mouse, he hurried down the hallway and passed the meeting room. Maybe if he was quiet enough he could slip back into his room before—

"Well?"

Cringing at the smooth voice, Marquis reluctantly turned and entered the meeting room.

"Did you get the Jewel Rock?" Archer, the man in charge of the Knotwood Branch, inquired.

"Er…no, boss."

An eyebrow arched. "Really? And why not? You are one of the strongest Fighters in this division. Very few of the Fighters who come to Knotwood could stand up to you."

"Yeah, well, it just so happens that I ran into one that just swatted me like a gnat."

A blink. A glimmer of intrigue entered gray eyes. "Oh?"

A vigorous nod. "She didn't even give an order! Her vivosaurs just acted on their own, and beat my vivosaurs even though _I had the type advantage!_" A pause. "And what's even creepier is that it was like she was waiting for me. She gave this creepy smile, like a cat to a crippled bird." A shudder.

Gray eyes narrowed marginally. "What did she look like?"

"Um…she had this _really_ red hair, blue-green eyes, and clothes like something out of a Japanese video game…" Marquis froze as Archer's gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Did she have sleeves that got wider below the elbow? And a sash around her waist?"

_How did he—_"Yeah, she did."

Archer exhaled sharply, maroon strands of hair falling into his face. "You got _very_ lucky, Marquis."

A blink. "You know her?"

"_Of_ her, the girl you encountered was Creed Peregrine!"

"Who?" He wilted under the withering stare Archer gave him.

"Don't you keep up with the news?" the branch leader demanded. "Creed Peregrine is a new Fighter who arrived at the beginning of this Tourney and is already a 4th Ranked Fighter! There are rumors going around that she could give _Saurhead_ a run for his money."

"Are you serious?" No one had managed to climb up ranks that high that fast since that guy, Jonas. And no one had come even close to beating Saurhead in a Fossil Battle in, well, ever. Actually, no, there was that Samurai guy, but there' nothing confirmed about that.

A solemn nod. "I…saw her matches yesterday." A slightly haunted expression formed. "She's brutal, and her vivosaurs are dangerously clever, she hardly needs to direct them…at least vocally."

Unsettled, Marquis asked, "If she's so strong, why would she be back in Knotwood?"

"There should be no reason for her to be here." A suddenly troubled look crossed Archer's face. "Unless…"

_Uh-oh_, _I don't like the sound of that…_ "Unless….what?"

"It's…just a hunch. But I got word from the branch in Rivet Ravine that several of their members provoked Peregrine's ire…it could be that she's come here to track us down."

Blood drained. "I-if that's true, then why here? Wouldn't she go after the Rivet Ravine members?"

A shrug. "Who knows how her mind works. This is the same Fighter who took down Medal-Dealer Joe, clashed with _three_ high ranked members of the BB Bandits _and_ apprehended _Blambeau_ by herself with her _bare hands._"

Marquis swallowed hard mouth suddenly dry.

Habitually, he reached into his pocket to touch his Dino Medals—

He froze, eyes wide. _Oh sh—_

"What's wrong?"

"M-my Dino Medals." A feeling of helplessness washed over him. "I-I must have left them back in the forest, after—" What could he do? He couldn't go back out there, not with the chance of running into _her_ again. But, his vivosaurs…he worked so hard with them…he couldn't just—

Two objects suddenly dropped down on the table in front of him. His eyes widened. _It can't be_. Shakily, he reached out and touched the Dino Medals, feeling them warm under his fingers. _How…?_

Overjoyed, he looked up at Archer to say something, anything, but stopped when he saw his superior. The other man had gone very, _very_ still and was looking _past_ Marquis. A sense of foreboding suddenly fell over him as his sense of logic caught up with him. If his Dino Medals were _here_, in the base, then _that _would mean it had all been a trick and that he had—

_Oh no. Please, please, _please_ let it not be—_

Slowly, he turned around.

Amused aquamarine eyes met his own.

The world around him seemed to shatter as Creed Peregrine waved almost cheerfully from against the doorframe. A vicious looking v-raptor loomed behind her.

_Oh, we're dead, _I'm_ dead, _Marquis thought in despair. His vision grayed around the edges as his thoughts took more decisively more dismal turns.

"Marquis!"

The world snapped back into focus and Marquis was snapped out of his thoughts by Archer's sharp tone.

He shook his head wearily. Maybe it had all been a bad daydream. Maybe nothing was—

But no, there was the fearsome Fighter, still leaning against the doorway, looking quite amused. "Not going to pass out, are you?"

Startled, Marquis fumbled for a reply. "Um, er…uh, no…Ms. Peregrine."

A snort made him twitch. "Creed, please. I'm not especially fond of my last name."

"What do you want?" Archer spoke up, still stiff backed, gray eyes sharp.

Despite himself, Marquis felt the tension leaving him. Archer could handle this, he could probably take Peregrine. He was, after all, the strongest Fighter in Knotwood. That was why he had been made the branch administrator.

A shrug. "Oh, just returning his Dino Medals. The vivosaurs were quite alarmed when I picked them up and not him."

Marquis blinked. _Wha…? How could she possibly know _that_?_

"That's bull." Archer said flatly.

Marquis choked.

A soft chuckle. "Perhaps, though it is true to an extent."

"Why did you come? What do you want?"

"Oh, just to talk…you can breathe now, I'm not going to hurt you." The last bit was directed at Marquis, who had tensed again with Archer's retort.

Marquis sputtered incoherently as Creed looked back at Archer. The branch admin met her gaze evenly. A feat Marquis couldn't help but feel impressed about.

"I think it's your v-raptor that's causing most of his unease."

"Oh?" Aquamarine glanced back at the v-raptor. "I see, my apologies then. That's enough for now, Chicane."

'_Chicane'? She _named_ it?_ Marquis thought incredulously as the v-raptor's medal landed lightly in Creed's outstretched palm.

With the vivosaur gone, Marquis actually _did_ feel a bit better.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, it's more of a request really. I'd really appreciate it if you called off your fellow Seekers. Having them jump out of the woodwork every time I find a Jewel Rock is _really_ annoying."

"I'll pass your request along to my superiors, but I can't promise anything."

A shrug. "That's fine, I don't expect more than that." A slow smirk. "I just figured it would be better to ask you first before I vented frustration on the next poor Seeker to cross paths with me. " A pause. "Not just me of course, my vivosaurs find such conflicts boring and are likely to get…creative, if they are continuously provoked."

"A threat, then?"

Creed shook her head. "Merely a warning. My vivosaurs are, as you probably know, much more intelligent than the average vivosaur and they tend to emulate my current emotions. And when a high ranked vivosaur decides it's annoyed or its Fighter is being harassed…" she trailed off with another shrug.

"… I'll see what I can do to make sure the other Seekers stay away from you."

"That's all I ask."

With a polite bow, Creed spun on the ball of her foot and was gone.

/\/\/\

**A/N**: Alright, time to rant. In the game you can find Fossil Rocks with some sort of precious gem inside. And every time. Without fail. You get challenged for it whenever one happens to be dug up. Extremely annoying, in my opinion. But since it's so darn consistent there _must_ be a reason behind it. And thus enters the Paragon Seekers group that was mentioned in passing in the Mine Cars arc.

So Creed was expressing the annoyance I felt every time I had to fight for a gem. Actually, she has even less patience than I do.

The Paragon Seekers are the result of creative license and, though interesting it'd be to have them in the game, only exist in this story.


	12. Chapter 4: Woolbeard the Pirate II

**Woolbeard the Pirate II**

_Bottomsup Bay…I don't think I'm going to like this place much…_

Oxygen-supplying-helmet over her head, and lead weights strapped to her waist, Creed barely restrained the urge to simply leave. She had to at least _look_ through the dig site, and she didn't have to come back here again after her initial exploration.

With a small sigh, she stepped through the gates marking the entrance to the bay.

Static crackled and a piercing scream came through the built in speakers of the helmet. A very familiar scream. Wincing at the pitch, Creed looked around, trying to spot the source of scream.

"Heeeelp!"

Standing on her toes, Creed stared hard over towards the other end of the underwater cavern. _Of course…_ "What's wrong, Rosie?"

"I was just out here digging, when I looked up I was surrounded by sharks!" came the sobbed response.

_No kidding._ Creed eyed the long purple fish that swam sedately behind the unaware Rosie. _Holy—! They really _do_ wear dentures._

"The sharks out here are a weird species of dangerous man-eaters called denture sharks!" her voice trembled. "They swim up to you super fast and knock you out with the force of the blow. And if you're really slow, they'll just eat you on the spot!" She waved franticly. "Creed, I can't get out of here! Come help me! Pleeeease!"

"Just what are you doing out here _alone_ anyway if this place is so dangerous?"

"I couldn't find you and couldn't wait to look for new fossils!"

Creed sighed. _Oh the things you drag me into, kiddo._

Glancing back and forth, Creed stepped out into the open and slowly made her way towards the other side of the cavern. She made it about halfway across when Rosie let out a piercing scream.

"Creed, behind you!"

Teeth gleamed, metal flashed in faint light as Creed pivoted around. Grab. Aim. _ Strike!_

The sound of cracking bones sounded through the water as the flat of Creed's pickaxe struck, and shattered, the dentures of an attacking shark. Fragments of the busted teeth floated in the water around them.

Even hindered by water, Creed's reflexes were something to be feared.

The expression in the shark's eyes could only be described as priceless astonishment. It likely hadn't been attacked by its 'food' before.

Creed raised the pickaxe again in warning and the denture shark quickly fled.

Snorting, Creed continued on her way, keeping her pickaxe in hand. The other sharks gave her a wide berth after that, not wanting to have what happened to their fellow shark happen to them. By the time Creed reached the other side, all the sharks in the immediate area had disappeared.

Rosie threw herself at Creed, wrapping her arms tightly around the other's middle, sobbing loudly. A little taken aback, Creed awkwardly patted her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. It took several minutes for the girl to regain her composure. When she did, she jumped back with a sheepish laugh.

"Thanks, Creed. I thought I was a goner! Those teeth may be fake, but the bites still hurt!"

Creed shrugged. "Those sharks are big pansies. Hit them in the mouth hard enough and they back off."

"That was amazing, Creed! You weren't scared at all; you just spun around and gave it what-for!" Rosie jabbed the space in front of her for emphasis. "Oh, I got a tip for you, since you saved my life and all. I heard that there's an old, sunken pirate ship somewhere on the floor of Bottomsup Bay." A familiar gleam entered pink eyes. "I've read up on the history of the area, and I think it must be the legendary Captain Woolbeard's ship! If I'm right, that old boat will be loaded with treasure and rare fossils!"

Rosie jumped and twirled around with excitement. "So let's look for the pirate ship together! There has to be a reason no one's found it, though…"

_Uh-oh._ "Rosie, wasn't it your want for treasure that got you your uh," a snigger, "'Diga', problem?"

"Oh, that was a fluke." Rosie waved it off. "Next time I won't accept a reward from a creepy old tribe chieftain."

"Next time? So you _will_ do it again?"

"Creed!" Rosie blushed behind her glass faceplate.

/\/\

"It's _not_ funny, Creed!" Covered in mud, the pinkette tried to look strict, but was failing miserably.

Shoulders actually shaking with laughter, Creed lamented her inability to wipe tears from her eyes. "Yes it is." She said quickly between breaths of laughter. "You _fell—!"_ more peals of laughter and Creed could say no more.

"Stop it! Creed!"

With notable effort, Creed restrained her laughter. She straightened up, flat-faced, and managed to hold it. For about ten seconds. Then she collapsed to the floor, overcome with hysterical laughter once more.

Realizing that telling her to stop wouldn't help anything. Rosie spun away and waited, stiff-backed, for the fit of laughter to end. It did, after almost five minutes.

"Really, Rosie." Creed gasped, flat on her back, shoulders still quivering. "It's just too darn _funny._"

Rosie glared at her reproachfully. "How is falling down a hole _funny_?"

"Exactly that! _You_ were the one to tell me to look under rocks and plants for a hidden tunnel." Another brief fit of sniggers. "And then you went and _sat_ on the _very rock_ we were trying to find." A snort. "Of _course_ it's funny. In fact…" she sat up stiffly, stomach sore. "it's going to have me laughing for a _long_ time." Another snicker. "I'm going to enjoy it for all it's worth."

Rosie 'harrumphed' and stalked off down the hidden cavern. Still chuckling, Creed followed her.

"Hey!" Rosie shouted after a couple minutes. "I found it!"

Intrigued, Creed sped up.

Indeed she had.

_Well isn't that just a classic sunken ship._ Creed thought wryly. _Just like in the movies. All we need now is some _real_ treasure and the ghost of the ship's captain…_a pause. _Nah…couldn't happen…could it? _A blink. _Wait a minute…is that a _VMM machine_?_

Evidently not noticing the odd location for the machine, Rosie walked right into the ghost ship through a gaping hole torn into its ribs—

—and into open air.

_Wha—?_

Both Fighter's cautiously removed their diving masks and breathed the apparently clean air warily.

"Creed, there's air in here!"

_Really? I didn't notice._ Creed thought with a mental eye roll as she dug a flashlight out of her backpack to help increase their visibility. It was, after all, quite dark in the old ship.

"Fresh air!" Rosie breathed in through her nose, smelling the air. "How strange. There's something odd about this place…"

Creed's eyes narrowed and she scanned the immediate area, looking for something—

Rosie hopped on the balls of her feet, grinning. "Anyway, let's explore the pirate ship! Be sure to open any treasure chest you see, AND…" her voice skipped several octaves. Creed winced slightly. "Most importantly, we should look for Captain Woolbeard's quarters! I'd hate to miss the opportunity."

"You…are too curious for your own good." Creed sighed, shaking her head.

The two made their way deeper into the abandoned ship. From time to time they'd locate a new Fossil Rock, which they'd fight over with a quick game of rock-paper-scissors. Rosie could not understand how Creed won almost every single time, or realize how Creed deliberately lost several in order for the pinkette to get some of the Fossil Rocks.

_She's too proud to let me just give some to her_. Creed thought with vague amusement.

The deeper they went into the ship, the darker and spookier it seemed to get. The floorboards creaked and the walls moaned from the pressure of the water outside.

A sudden blink, and Creed glanced down as Rosie suddenly clung to her arm after a particularly ominous _creak_. "It's…a little creepy." The pinkette squeaked, burying her face against the cloth of Creed's sleeve.

A sigh. "_You_ werethe one who wanted to come here." She pointed out softly.

"Yeah, but it's still creepy!"

Rolling her eyes, Creed continued onward, using her flashlight to light the way and patiently letting Rosie cling to her arm.

They came to an intricately carved door on one of the upper levels of the ship.

_Is that a _ribbon?A slightly closer look at the design. _ It _is_, and it is even carved to look like it's holding hair in place! …Well…the captain _was_ called _Woolbeard_, after all._

A steady hand pushed the door open. A loud creak resounded and Rosie clung tighter to Creed's arm.

Creed shut off her flashlight. For some reason, this room was well lit. A glance around revealed that it was large and spacious, with very few pieces of furniture aside from the large oak desk and world map placed near the far wall.

"_WooOOOOoooOOOOooolly, wooooooOOOOOlly, WWWWOOOOooooo!"_

Rosie squealed and quickly hid behind Creed.

Intrigued, Creed approached the desk, pulling the pinkette along with her.

A flash of smoke. Creed tensed marginally, then blinked at the figure that appeared behind the desk.

Stereotypical eye patch, old ship captain's uniform, emphasis on _old_, and the messiest bush of a beard Creed had _ever_ seen, sticking all over the place and practically falling to the floor.

Woolbeard growled, visible eye alight. "Ye face the legendary pirate, Captain Woolbeard!" his cheerful, if gruff, tone made Rosie peek out from behind Creed. "I've crossed all seven seas and…and…I'm legendary!"

Rosie stepped out fully, releasing Creed's now numb arm. She laughed, eyes bright. "It's the ghost of Woolbeard. Neat!"

Creed rolled her eyes. _Not what you were thinking a moment ago._

"Hold, ye two life-lubbers!" The ghost suddenly bellowed. Both Fighters jumped at attention. "I've got orders for ye!"

Rosie stiffened indignantly. "Orders?" she repeated. "Who are you to order us around? Some guy with a hat? We're not part of your crew or anything!"

She was, surprisingly enough, completely ignored by the former captain. "Find ye my beard ribbon!"

A blink. "A beard ribbon?" a snort. "You're kidding, right?"

Woolbeard bobbed up and down where he hovered. "That ribbon is the only thing I hold dear to my heart…" was the explanation. "And the most fashionable accessory on the planet." A forlorn sigh and the captain placed a hand over his chest, getting tangled up in wild hair. "Without that ribbon, my spirit can never rest…and I'll risk the wrath of pirate-fashion critics everywhere."

An eyebrow twitched. _Seriously…?_

Rosie was unmoved. Frowning, she folded her arms in front of her. "Sad story. But do you think we've got the free time to go looking for your pretty ribbon?"

Woolbeard held up a finger. "If ye find it for me, I'll give ye the greatest treasure under the seas in return."

Rosie perked up instantly. "Wait, what? Treasure? We're on the job! We'll get that ribbon for you before you can say 'apparition'!"

An incredulous shake of red hair. _She's got treasure on the brain. Oh no—_

"Right? Are you with me, Creed?" Pink eyes stared up imploringly.

A sigh, but Rosie looked back at Woolbeard before a response could be made. _It was probably a rhetorical question anyway…_

"Aye, aye, captain! We'll find your ribbon! Just wait right here!"

Ghostly blue eye curved upward happily. "I've searched every corner of the sea, and it's nowhere to be found.

"Got it!" Rosie saluted. "We'll start our search on land. No problem."

"Please hurry. Ye've got to help me before my beard becomes…unruly."

_Really? I would never have guessed._

Another poof of smoke, and the apparition was gone.

The sudden creak of the door made Creed and Rosie turn around in confusion. The wooden door slammed shut and they could hear the sounds of a deadbolt sliding into place on the outside.

"Rex! Hurry up and trap them in there!" came a familiar voice from the other side of the door. A dog barked.

_Oh, _c'mon_. Even _here?

"Trap us?" Rosie squeaked. "What's going on here?' Eyes wide, she looked at Creed. "Creed, try and open the door."

Creed shot forward, ramming her shoulder into hard wood—

_Ouch…_ she blinked up from the wooden floorboards, shoulder throbbing. The door remained stubbornly shut.

"No! We can't be trapped here!" Rosie looked around in growing panic. "Captain Woolbeard! Do something!" no response. "…Please?" still no response. Rosie darted around the desk, looking around franticlly. "Shoot!" Scared pink met calm aquamarine. "What are we gonna do now?"

Creed hummed. _Maybe I could have Chicane—_

The room suddenly shook as there was a deafening shatter of wood. Creed spun around in alarm, legs bent and muscles tensed— _What in the—?_

Snow white fabric rustled, angular blue eyes stared about the cabin curiously as the young woman—around Rosie's age perhaps, but her posture and the air around her made calling her a 'girl' feel like an insult—came to a stop in front of Rosie and Creed.

"…This place…" a soft though strong voice. "The Captain's quarters?"

"Hey, the door's open!" Rosie suddenly pointed beyond the woman towards the cabin door.

Suddenly snapped out of her transfixed state, Creed shook her head.

Rosie lunged forward and grabbed the young woman in a grateful hug. "Did you open the door? Thank you!" was the heartfelt cry. "We thought we were on our way to being sunken treasure ourselves!"

Long blonde hair drifted forward as the woman stared down at Rosie in bemusement, and, Creed thought, a bit of unnerved surprise. Taking pity on her, Creed quickly pried Rosie off the other, giving an apologetic look. The pinkette had the decency to look a little embarrassed by her actions.

"Yes." A nod. "But don't misunderstand. I'm not here to help or to harm you." A pause. "I simply needed to survey this room."

And survey she did. The enigmatic woman silently inspected everything from the globe on the desk, to the desk itself, to the large world chart hung up on the wall. When she finished, she hummed softly to herself before giving a polite 'farewell' and then leaving as mysteriously as she had arrived.

"Who is that?" Rosie wondered. "And where is she going?"

"Who knows?" Creed shrugged.

Rosie growled, and then jumped up. "Wait, forget her! I want to know who those other two were and why they locked us in here!" A sigh, and then Rosie turned back to Creed. "Ah, I guess it can wait. We've got ourselves a ribbon to find!" an idea lit up behind her eyes. "Let's go talk to my grandfather. He may at least have some ideas about where to start looking."

With that, she hurried to the newly opened door, Creed following along at a more sedate pace.

Rosie gasped when she saw the door. Creed blinked, intrigued and greatly surprised.

It looked like someone had come through with a sledgehammer and bulldozed through the thick and sturdy wood. But…Creed took a closer look. There were no dents or paint chippings to suggest that it had been any more than a single precise blow.

_Interesting…how did she do _that, _I wonder…_

"The door's broken. Captain Woolbeard's gonna be mad!"

"Then we better vacate the premises before he finds out."

A nod. "Good idea—oh!" Rosie looked at something against the wall beside the broken door. "We can use this to get back!"

_A…VMM? _How_…? That _was not_ there before, and—Wait, what did she just say?_ "Pardon? How exactly will we use it?"

A puzzled blink. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know _what_?"

"Lemme show you!" Rosie walked over and pressed one of the buttons on the machine.

"_Greetings." _A mechanical voice intoned. _"VMMs at dig sites are equipped with warp functionality,"_ Creed blinked, _"which can be used to travel back to the Fighter's Area. Feel free to take advantage of this convenient loophole in space-time."_

Creed just stared, astonished, and thus offered no resistance when Rosie pulled her over and pushed another button.

The world dissolved into static whites.

/\/\

Creed stumbled as her feet connected with solid ground again. She didn't have time to regain her equilibrium before she was unceremoniously dragged towards the Guild Area.

_Again with the dragging. I thought we were over this!_

But a familiar gleam of determination had entered Rosie's eyes and Creed knew she had no chance of talking to her.

"Grandpa!" Rosie shouted as they entered Richmond's office. She let go of Creed and ran over to the other side of the desk. "Have you ever heard of a beard ribbon belonging to Woolbeard the pirate?" A pleading look in pink eyes. "I really want to find it.

Richmond blinked. "A pirate beard ribbon?" he glanced at Creed.

"The ghost pirate of the sunken ship in Bottomsup Bay. Apparently he lost a bowtie-like ribbon he used to keep his beard in check." Was the abridged explanation.

A thoughtful hum. "Come to think of it, that sounds familiar…" White brows furrowed. "I remember! My people found it in that old chest that washed up onshore a while back."

Rosie laughed joyously. "Really? So you have it?"

An apologetic look. "Not anymore, no." he shook his head. "An…acquaintance of mine really wanted it, so I gave it to him."

"Acquaintance?" Rosie parroted. "Who?"

A sigh. "His name is Nick Nack. He lives in the hotel."

"Nick Nack?" Rosie cocked her head. "That's a funny name."

"He's a funny fellow." Richmond admitted. "He can seem a little off-putting, but he's actually a good person."

Rosie spun around once before hugging her grandfather. "Thank you, Grandpa! We'll be at the hotel if you need us!"

The two Fighters turned to leave as Richmond's voice called after them. "I'll let Nick Nack know you're coming. You should go see him right away."

"Okay. Thanks, Grandpa." Rosie called back as they left the office.

/\/\

"Welcome back, Ms. Peregrine. And welcome to you, young miss." Dimitri greeted as Creed and Rosie approached the front desk.

"Hi! I'm Rosie Richmond. We're here to see a guest of yours, Mr. Nick Nack."

Dimitri smiled. "Ah, Miss Richmond! Mr. Nack has been expecting you." He pointed to an elevator mirroring the one Creed used to get to her room. "Take the leftmost elevator, and Mr. Nack's room is the first door when you get off."

"Thank you very much!" Rosie, true-to-form, grabbed Creed's arm again and dragged her to the directed elevator.

/\/\

_Well…_ Creed thought, blinking slowly and looking again around the bizarrely kept hotel room she and Rosie had entered. _This is different._

"Good afternooooon!"

Creed and Rosie leapt back in unison as a man, just as bizarre as the room, suddenly bounced in front of them.

_A long Native American Tunic, giant feathers attached like wings, red band of cloth with eyeholes around his head…'quirky' is definitely an understatement._

The man, Nick Nack, danced in a circle cheerfully. "Mademoiselle Rosie. Mademoiselle Creed." He stopped spinning and grinned brightly at them. "This is me. I am Nick Nack. I heard from Monsieur Richmond about your visit. And your desires." A glimmer of slyness crossed hidden blue eyes. "It is Woolbeard's beard ribbon you want, ehhh?" A laugh. "That would trickle your prancy, ehhhhh?"

_I _like_ this guy. _

"Uh…yes." Rosie took a small step _back_ and then another to duck slightly behind Creed.

Nick gave an elaborate bow, one arm across his middle and all. "I will be more than happy to grant your request, considering your relation to Monsieur Richmond…" he straightened up.

"What? Really?" Rosie laughed in delight. "That's great!"

A halting hand made her pause. "Whoa now. Spool your nets, girl." Nick chided politely. "There is a price to be paid!" A sly grin. "Woolbeard's beard ribbon is a one-of-a-kind treasure, after all!"

Rosie looked a little unsure. "So what do we have to do to get the beard ribbon?"

Blue eyes closed. "Hmm…Nick Nack is thinking…" folding his arms across his chest, he spun lazily around on the ball of his foot to face the wall. "Thinking…thinking…Oh!" He spun back to face them. "Of all the things there are, there are _three_ that I wish for…Bring those three to me, and I'll give you the beard ribbon."

Rosie stiffened indignantly. "Three things?"

"Hey," was the equally hot response. "I rusted my pump trying to get that beard ribbon!"

"My grandfather gave it to you—!" She took a partial stepped forward, but was halted as Creed placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Tell us what you need, preferably all three at once, and we'll see what we can do."

Nick perked up. "Since we've all agreed to my plan, I need a Sandal Fossil—"

Rosie laughed haughtily. "Funny…there's no such things as a Sandal Fossil…" She glanced at Creed, "Right?"

"Ta-dah!"

Eyebrows arched, Creed examined the odd fossil the eccentric man had pulled out from…somewhere. It was indeed a Sandal Fossil.

"It's a…sandal fossil." Rosie said with astonishment. "But that doesn't make any sense." She glanced up at Nick. "Things have to be in the ground a looong time for that to happen. How did a sandal get fossilized?" Light dawned. "Wait, let me guess! It was, like, a sandal worn by a dinosaur…or something?"

Nick brushed off the questions with a lazy wave of his hand. "Don't worry about details like that. The point _is_ that I only have the left sandal! One sandal is no good for a two-footed creature like myself! So find the other one…please."

Rosie frowned. "There are a lot of established dig sites on the Island, but they're all for dinosaur fossils…" light sparked suddenly. "Oh, wait! Come to think of it, there was that dig site with nothing but a bunch of weird junk. It was over in Greenhorn Plains if I remember correctly."

"Where Medal-Dealer Joe was conning people, and where you and I first met." Creed nodded. "Alright, what else is there?"

"A molted bug shell."

"You want a bug shell?" Rosie frowned thoughtfully. "The only bugs I can think of on Vivosaur Island are Fossil Bugs."

"Fossil Bugs?"

"Too correct!" Nick cheered, spinning around once. "So well educated you are, Mademoiselle Rosie! When it comes to Fossil Bugs, the Digadig Chieftain seems to know a lot. You should ask him. When you find it, would you so kindly bring...it…to…me." the man frowned for a moment before brightening again and waving his arms in the air energetically.

"Fast but no feast, I'd like dentures from a Denture Shark."

"D-Denture Shark?" Rosie almost leapt back in alarm. She shook her head vigorously. "No way. I'm not going."

Nick shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me who goes or stays." He gave them both pointed looks. "As long as someone brings me dentures from a Denture Shark."

"Er…Creed, could you handle that? Denture Sharks are scared of you. You could find some dentures easily!"

Nick gave Creed a curious look, looked like he wanted to ask, but finally decided not to. "According to my sources, Denture Sharks take off their teeth when they're at home in their dens. So…if you can find a shark den, you should be able to find shark dentures."

Creed nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, we'll see if we can get those things."

"Good luck, and thank you for your kind offer of service."

Both Fighters nodded and left the room.

"Why don't you go get the Sandal Fossil in Greenhorn Plains while I go and get the Denture Shark dentures?" Creed suggested as they entered the hallway. "Then we can meet at the edge of Knotwood Forest to get the bug shell."

A vibrant nod. "Good idea, Creed!" A shudder. "I can't stand Denture Sharks." The pinkette ran towards the elevator.

"Wait, Rosie!" A pause, and a quizzical glance back. "Be careful! You'll probably run into one of the BB Bandits! They're halfway decent Fighters and aren't afraid to cheat."

"What makes you sure I'll run into one?"

"Because it was a pair of BB Bandits that tried to lock us in Woolbeard's cabin! I guarantee they'll be trying to get his ribbon too, so just be careful."

"Alright…you be careful too. Don't take any chances. Those Denture Sharks are _sneaky_."


	13. Chapter 4: Woolbeard the Pirate III

**Woolbeard the Pirate III**

_Sneaky, yes. Brave, not so much._ Creed mused from Torrent's shoulders as the alectro strode easily across the ocean floor. As a water-affinity vivosaur, he could breathe just as well under the water as out of it. _They're cowards at heart, it seems. Sort of like jackals, I think._

The Denture Sharks, which had been swarming the area when she arrived, fled at the sight of her and the six meter theropod. A couple slightly braver ones had tried to mob them, but ended up being met with pickaxe, tail, and teeth.

_Now…where to find one of their dens…_ Creed mused, sliding off Torrent's shoulders and sinking steadily to the ocean floor. There were plenty of rocks, plants, and various other likely places where a tunnel mouth could be hidden.

The back of her neck prickled, and aquamarine eyes glanced around with a hint of caution.

_A deceptively calm current of questioning pale orange mixed with faint splashes of alert red. Is something wrong?_

_Maybe…wait and watch. You'll know when to move if I'm right._ Grim wisps of acknowledgment answered her.

Pickaxe held limply by her side, Creed wandered casually away from the vivosaur, feeling the prickle of her neck growing in intensity.

Glancing at her sonar, she pulled out her pickaxe and quickly dug up the fossil she had detected. Pulling out her fossil case, she knelt down to retrieve it—

Dirt and seaweed exploded outward, water surged, a flash of partially rotted teeth in distorted sunlight.

An almost audible _slam_ and a cloud of mud was disturbed.

The magenta Denture Shark wriggled helplessly from under Torrent's clawed foot. Creed smirked behind her diving mask, putting away case and tool before approaching the entrapped fish. _Good job, Torrent._

Red eyes glinted brightly with glowing triumph at the praise.

_Now hold it still._ Being cautious of still dangerous jaws, Creed moved to stand behind the shark's head. Gently, she poked one tip of her pickaxe into the corner of its mouth. The shark squirmed. Creed pressed a little harder, wriggling it in deeper behind the dentures. After a moment's effort, the partially rotted dentures plopped onto the seabed.

Without needing to be told, Torrent raised his foot and let the mortified shark dart away like a torpedo. Creed chuckled as it fled and then examined the dentures. She grimaced slightly at their condition and then pulled out a relatively new case from her sleeve.

After seeing Nevada with her little cleaning kit, she had managed to get her hands on a set for her own use. Straus had been very helpful in getting it for her, and it had been quite cheap compared to the prices for the Hyper Drills and Super Hammers that he had available. It certainly made things easier when it came to Jewel Rocks and helped keep her fossil case relatively spacious. Now she used it to clean the disgusting plaque from the dentures.

Even under water the tools worked quite well, just as she had been promised. The dentures were cleaned after only a few short minutes of work.

Satisfied, she put the kit away and picked up the dentures. "Alright, let's get back to the docks." She said as she managed to fit the dentures, awkwardly, into the large and empty pocket of her backpack. It was quite interesting how it was completely waterproof both inside and out. Nothing of hers got wet unless she opened the pocket. All the same, she was happy she kept her tools in her sleeves for easy availability.

Torrent knelt down next to her and she swung up onto his shoulders again. Turning, the theropod made for the entrance of the bay.

When she made it back to the docks, still very much damp, Creed learned that the boat was away and wouldn't be back for some time.

So, feeling impatient, she let Mistral out and opted to ride her to Knotwood rather than wait for the ferry. While cold air whipping through damp hair and clothing was far from pleasant, the warm sun above and the sheer _thrill_ of flying made up for it. Even the faint danger of catching a cold because of her wet hair seemed marginal.

Far too quickly they reached the forest and Creed reluctantly had Mistral land.

_A pleasant breeze winding through a happy landscape of joyful yellows. That was fun, Creed, you and I flying together, leaving the earth behind, leaving worries and pains behind…is it not pleasant?_

A nod, a serene expression on her face. _Yes it is, Mistral. Makes me wish we humans were not bound to the ground as we are._

Graceful neck arching back, a glint of laughter in dark eyes. _A sharp gust of laughing yellow-oranges cut through the landscape. That is why I am here; to set you free from those bonds._

_Yes, and I am ever grateful for your presence._ Fingers gently traced sharp bill as Mistral returned to her medal.

_Rosie's not here yet…_

Now she came to a dilemma of whether or not to go and check up on Rosie. If she _did_ run into the BB Bandits, she could be overwhelmed if it was three against one, or even two against one. But…she had gotten much better with her vivosaurs after the Blambeau incident and would likely be rather upset if Creed tried to interfere.

_She'll be fine,_ Creed decided, _While somewhat skilled, the bandits are lacking in really high level vivosaurs._

So, with nothing to do, she decided to look for some new fossils. Much to her amusement, the first thing she dug up was a Jewel Rock.

"Hey-eeeaaah! It's you!"

Fighting down a snigger, Creed turned to face the pale Marquis.

"Er…uh…" the man sputtered, a slight tremor through his frame. "I'm…er…s-s—"

"Don't worry about it." Creed waved off the apology. "You realized your mistake, and it's probably reflex anyway." A soft smile, "I'm not a bully, I'm not going to hurt you unless deliberately provoked, and even then, only in a Fossil Battle."

"But…" Marquis seemed to steel himself before continuing, "You took down Blambeau, with your bare hands, right?"

A nod. "True, however, that was only because he was pointing an overgrown elephant gun at myself and my companion."

Marquis paled. "I thought the rumors of his carrying a gun were—"

"Oh, they're quite true, unfortunately." Creed casually moved at an angle towards a tree and leaned against the trunk. _Don't look him in the eye, keep tone light, don't make any move towards him…I feel like I'm trying to coax a scared cat out of a tree…_

"W-what happened? None of the rumors have the same story. Some say you hunted him down, others that it was a big misunderstanding, some about him hunting _you_ down, and things like that."

_He's relaxing—somewhat—good…_ "Oh, it was a bit of a misunderstanding, really." Another smile. "I was helping an acquaintance of mine deal with a slight problem she was having with her vivosaurs. Well, somehow or another we crashed into Blambeau, literally in my acquaintance's case, and he not only took offense, but got it into his head that we were "bounty 'unters" sent to catch him." A snort. "Never mind that my acquaintance isn't even fifteen yet."

Entranced by the story, Marquis cautiously moved over to a neighboring tree and leaned against it. Creed smothered a satisfied smile and made sure to look straight ahead rather than at him.

"Anyway, my acquaintance has a bit of a temper, so she snapped back after the accusation was made. One thing led to another and suddenly they were locked in a Fossil Battle and my acquaintance was managing her vivosaurs _perfectly_." A chuckle. "Blambeau was quite astonished when his venator, ourano, and lambeo were overpowered."

Eyes narrowed. "Of course, he didn't take it too well and tried to take out my acquaintance. I was standing off to the side, out of the battle, and so I moved to intercept." A scornful snicker. "He had a really poor grip so I knocked his gun out of his grasp and then moved back when he tried to punch me. When he tried to advance, I drop-kicked him into the tree and then used the pressure point on his shoulder to knock him out."

A shrug. "After that we called Captain Bullwort and he arrested Blambeau, and that's about it."

"Wow." Eyes wide, Marquis couldn't do much more than stare at the girl.

"I'm not so scary, am I?" Creed said suddenly, glancing at Marquis with amusement.

The eye contact made the Seeker freeze up again and Creed snorted. "Oh relax. If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it already."

Evidently that did not make him feel any better. _Okay, let's try a different tactic._ "You know, freezing up like that only makes you a bigger target."

Marquis stumbled. "What?"

"Freezing up like that, showing all your terror. That really doesn't help if you're trying to avoid someone strong enough to hurt you." A pause. "Show respect, sure, and go ahead and show you're wary of them, but that doe-eyed look of terror. _That_ is like taping a 'kick me' sign to your head."

"R-really?"

A nod. "It makes you look like a push over, and some people will walk all over you because of that. Your boss said you were one of the strongest Fighters stationed in Knotwood, yes? Well act like it, don't just go all kowtow when you're faced with someone stronger, like you are now. Don't antagonize them, but don't give them reason to go after you. Not everyone out there is as nice as I am. Some people love to pick on those weaker than themselves."

The Seeker stared, his mind apparently having stalled and now he had to reboot it. Creed carefully banked growing amusement. She wasn't joking about the karmic 'kick me' sign he put on himself. It was testing a good bit of her willpower _not_ to _play_ with him like a cat does with a crippled bird.

"Y-you're serious?"

"I'll be frank," a carefully flat expression, "the temptation to mess with you is _quite_ hard to repress right now because you're cutting a very _tempting_ target."

Skin whitened and Creed sighed. Apparently that wasn't helping much either.

"Alright, apparently this _isn't_ helping…so, why don't you tell me a bit about the Paragon Seekers? Nothing 'classified', just a bit about what you do, maybe about the man I met when I found your base, he seemed interesting."

Despite himself, Marquis began to speak and gradually felt himself becoming more at ease as the conversation progressed. Maybe Peregrine—Creed—wasn't as bad as he thought.

/\/\

"Hey, Creed!"

Glancing away from the insightful debate involving the appeal of diamonds and pearls over other gemstones, Creed smiled as Rosie came running up.

"I got the sandal fossil!"

Marquis quirked a bemused brow.

"Long story." Creed shrugged before looking at Rosie again. "Did you have any trouble?"

"A bit, I had to fight this guy with eyes like an acro and a nose like a coatlus."

Creed blinked. "Blonde hair, real nasally voice?"

A nod, pink ponytails bobbed. "Yeah, that's it exactly! You know him?"

"Unfortunately." Creed sighed. "His name is Snivels—no, I'm not kidding, that's really his name—and he's a member of the BB Bandits _and_ the guy who locked us in Woolbeard's cabin—"

"Okay." Marquis quickly stepped away from the tree. "I can see this is none of my business, so I'll be going now."

"Just a moment." The man glanced back and fumbled slightly as the Jewel Rock landed in his arms. Startled, he stared at Creed, who shrugged. "I was just digging to kill time, I don't really need it.

"Oh, uh…thanks. Um, bye Creed, it was…nice, talking with you." The Paragon Seeker quickly vanished back into the forest.

"Who was that?"

"Oh, just someone I met earlier. Anyway, are you alright? Snivels didn't try anything underhanded, did he?"

Rosie shook her head. "No, he just ran off after I beat him. Why? Does he fight dirty?"

"Well…remember that bruise I had after the Digadigamid?"

"Yeah, that big black one under your…He _punched_ you?"

"Kicked actually, but that's irrelevant at the moment. I'm just relieved you weren't hurt." A pause. "How did you find the sandal anyway? Now that I think about it, it probably wouldn't show up on our sonar."

"Oh, it was really lucky!" Rosie spun around, arms held behind her back. "I was trying to find it when I realized that I was looking for _knickknacks _for a man named _Nick Nack_. It was such a bad joke that I just had to laugh. Then that girl from the ship walked up. You remember? The one who broke open the door." Creed nodded. "Anyway, so she comes up and asks me what was so funny. Then I asked her if she had happened to find a sandal fossil." A grin. "So she goes and pulls one out and just gives it to me, saying she didn't need it." A pause. "Oh! By the way, she says her name is 'Duna'."

"Duna, huh? That's a nice name. And it's quite fortunate that she was in the area." Creed hummed, "C'mon, let's get to the Digadig Village. I want to get this done as quickly as possible."

/\/\

They approached the gates of the village when a ferocious snarl made them stop abruptly. Bushes rustled violently as a short violet figure leapt out.

_Of course…_

Rex snarled again and barked loudly.

Rosie jerked and stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute, I know that voice! Remember? When we got shut in that room on the pirate chip?"

"Meet Rex, member of the BB Bandits." Creed introduced disdainfully. Her eyes sharpened dangerously, "Move Rex, unless you want a repeat of Rivet Ravine."

Rex hesitated, a low whine escaping him, before he shook himself and barked viciously.

Three Dino Medals flashed.

_A nodo, megath, and zino…_ Creed aimed and released Firma, Lethar, and Torrent.

A commanding bark, and the nodo raised its tail.

Creed remembered _that _attack all too well. _Move!_

The three vivosaurs scattered, Torrent actually yanking Lethar out of the path of the sharp gusts of disorienting wind.

_Take out the nodo first, Firma._ "Venator Bite!"

The theropod charged forward at the fused lizard. Rex barked and the nodo dropped down onto its belly and—

_Oh, Huene, I didn't realize its short legs could let it jump that high-Torrent: Watch it!_

Torrent dived to the side as the nodo landed with a heavy belly flop. He avoided the main blow, but was caught in the shockwave that shot out upon impact. Surprised, the theropod crashed to the ground.

_Strike now!_

Teeth sank into armored tail and Torrent _pulled._

_Does it look resigned?_ Creed blinked in surprise as the nodo was yanked off the ground, swung around sharply, and then released mid-swing.

With a bone jarring _crash_, it collided with the megath, the slow vivosaur unable to get out of the way in time.

"Venator Fury!"

_Ground jerked, starbursts of surprised pale blues accented a background of anticipatory orange. As you wish._

Sides expanded with a great intake of air. Firma leant level with the ground and then _roared_.

Everyone clapped hands over their ears at the ear shattering volume.

Sand beat at the two fallen wind vivosaurs. The roar intensified and great _clumps_ of _earth_ were torn out of ground and bashed into the nodo and megath. They struck with enough force to _shatter_ upon impact.

The pair didn't have a chance, their Dino Medals were flung back with enough force to stick them into a tree trunk like shuriken. But that wasn't nearly as impressive as the physical results of the attack. Broadening out from where Firma's feet was a hollowed out, cone-shaped _crater_. The devastation was made more impressive by several upturned trees and displaced boulders.

"Wow! I didn't know a venator could do that!" Rosie yelped, eyes wide in astonishment.

_Neither did I._ Creed thought.

_Stone rumbled with laughter amidst amused splashes of red. Earth is slow, but it is strong. When we find need to strike our targets will crack and crumble._

_I'll try and keep that in mind._ Creed sent, panting as she felt the strain caused by the backlash of the 3rd Tier technique._ All the same, let's not try that again in a hurry._

Rex stood frozen where he stood, eyes wide. His zino mimicked his posture and thus was completely blindsided as Torrent struck from the side.

A yelp, and then the scythe lizard joined its comrades.

Catching the medal as it bounced to him, Rex swayed where he stood. He shook his head, ran and just barely managed to tear his medals from the tree trunk, send Creed a look of _terror_, and then run off like a bat out of Hell.

"You're so strong," Rosie whispered, eyes wide, "it's scary."

Creed glanced down at Rosie, somewhat troubled, before the two entered the village. Many of the Digadigs gave them, or rather, Creed, a _very_ wide berth. This only perturbed the Fighter more, though she reined it in as they approached the Digadig Chieftain.

"Hi, Mr. Chieftain!" Rosie greeted cheerfully. "How are you diga-doing?"

Creed froze. Rosie's eyes widened in horror.

"No! NOOOOOO!" Rosie howled.

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, Creed bit her bottom lip, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

"What is it about this place that makes me say that…d-d-d-… That d-d-d-d-d-diga dang word?"

The Chieftan snickered, trying, and failing, to look innocent. "I have no…idea." He quickly changed the subject. "What brings you here, digadig?"

"We're trying to find a molted bug shell… Diga-Do," eye twitched, "you know where we can find one?"

A nod. "I do, digadig. Deep underground lives the fossil bug."

_Did he just channel Yoda-speak?_

"They…push fossils with their back legs and…roll them."

_Sounds like a larger dung beetle._ A blink. _And it also explains how fossils get incased in such uniformly shaped fossil rocks._

"There are many fossil bugs around, but their molted shells are…difficult to come by, digadig." A slight shrug. "Because we use these shells as…toboggans in the winter months, we learned to make the bugs molt. It requires a molting ritual to make the fossil bug molt—or shed—its shell, digadig."

"Molting ritual?" Rosie parroted.

"Yes," The Chieftain raised his staff and arms high. "a ritual to make the fossil bugs molt their shells, digadig. On the…sacred ground in Digadig Village, we…vigorously twirl emerald tipped staves, digadig."

Now Rosie looked even more confused. "Huh? How does twirling a staff make the bugs molt?"

"It is not…easy." The Chieftain admitted, spinning his staff nimbly over his hand. "The staff-twirling dance requires great…passion and vigor, digadig."

_Vigor?_ Creed frowned.

"When the fossil bugs feel the…vibration, they rise to the surface and shed their shells, digadig." The Chieftain stopped his staff and looked at them with a bright gleam in his eyes. "Would you like to try it…now?"

Rosie blinked. "We diga-don't need to travel to the sacred land?"

Creed snorted. "Don't you get it?" She gestured to the village. "He means the Digadig Village itself."

"That's right, digadig." A pause, "First I will…demonstrate, digadig. Twirl the staff like this…but with more passion and vigor—"

Rosie interrupted before he could begin, "Won't the fossil bugs surface and molt for your diga-dance, Chieftain? Why do WE need to learn it?"

The man actually seemed put out. "My staff twirling is…insufficient. Only the passionate, vigorous twirling of a young warrior will work, digadig! Now, please follow my…example, digadig."

He began spinning his staff again, only this time he did several switches and shoulder rolls before stopping.

"Now that you have seen how to twirl the staff…properly, let us begin the ceremony, digadig. You first," he motioned to Rosie.

"Me?" a villager appeared beside her and handed Rosie another emerald-tipped staff.

"Let us begin!" The Chieftain raised his arms and a large beetle like insect burst from the ground. Rosie shrieked and Creed jumped.

The Digadigs around began to chant and Rosie attempted the ritual.

The following was among the most pitiful, and painful, things Creed had bared witness to. Wincing in sympathy, she offered a hand to Rosie, who had fallen to the ground after clonking herself in the head, multiple times.

The girl groaned, taking the offered hand and cradling her head tenderly when she was upright again. "That hurt…digadig."

"That could have been better, Digadig." The Chieftain commented. Rosie sent him a sideways glare, made to lunge, and then whimpered, gripping her sore head again. "Your turn, young Fighter."

A twitch. "Do I have to?"

A flat look was her response and Creed sighed, kneeling down to pick up the fallen staff. Her eyes widened. _This is—!_

"Let us begin, again!"

The chanting began again and Creed turned to the bug, which looked like it had been falling asleep. With a resigned sigh, she began.

Slowly at first, she spun the staff in a circle, gradually gaining speed. Counting beats, she began weaving a figure eight with several hand rolls. _Easy, don't rush it._ Gaining momentum, she swung the staff around first one shoulder and then the other, finishing it with a body roll across her stomach. Another figure eight, she swung her arm up and let the staff hand-roll over her head

_Let's step it up, shall we?_

The staff left her fingers as she tossed it. Using her momentum, she twirled sharply before catching it again. Gripping near one end, she dropped on one knee and arched her back and whipped it hard from starboard to port. Using the momentum, she spun and returned to her feet.

A wide upward arc and she released it again, still spinning, and Creed twisted in a rapid duet of tornado kicks before catching it again. Straightening again, she gripped it with both hands and spun with the staff rather than letting it roll over her hands. Another body roll and then her arm shot out at full length and the staff hand-rolled in her grip. She swung her arm hard to the right, spinning on the ball of her foot.

Gripping the center with both hands, Creed lunged forward, dropping on one knee and jabbed the emerald out sharply, tapping the fossil bug's head. The emerald glowed, and then the back of the insect burst open.

A spray of flying dirt filled the air as the fossil bug quickly dug into the ground again, leaving its molted shell behind.

Panting slightly, Creed swept her back leg around sharply, pivoting on the ball of her foot as she straightened. One arm stretched out in front of her, holding the butt of the staff, with the other clasping the emerald-head close to her shoulder.

A flash of white and gold in peripheral vision. The girl from the ship?

A booming laugh and the sound of applause distracted her, and when Creed glanced back, the glimpse of white and gold was gone.

"You have performed the ritual as if you were a Digadig yourself, Digadig!" The chieftain walked over and patted Creed heavily on the back. Creed's knees buckled slightly. With a polite bow, Creed returned the staff as Rosie grabbed the shell and the two left the village.

"We did it, Creed! We got all three items!"

/\/\

"I didn't know you could do that, Creed."

The two Fighters, items in tow, strode towards the Relic Hotel.

Creed shrugged. "Well, I took up cheerleading for my Freshman year." A shudder. "Worst school year ever."

"Why?" A confused glanced. "You were amazing!"

"It was just—" Creed fumbled in agitation. "Skimpy uniforms, stuck up girls, and idiotic jocks trying to pick cheerleaders up as trophy girlfriends." Another shudder. "No siree, not for me. I quit as soon as I was able, after the year was done. Though…I did learn some interesting techniques. Anyway, doing the 'staff twirling ritual' brought back unpleasant memories."

"What kind of school did you go to?"

"One of those high class snobby ones." A glance. "I learned a lot, but my fellow students left a lot to be desired."

"You're rich?"

"…Maybe."

They entered the lobby and approached the elevator to Nick Nack's room. Double doors slid open. Creed shot forward. Rosie screamed as the occupant within was slammed bone-jarringly into the wall.

Vivian gasped sharply, eyes wide, as the wind rushed out of her lungs.

"Let me put this as plainly as I can." Creed growled, gripping the front of Vivian's uniform. "You either leave, right now, unharmed, or you can try and pick a fight and be sent to the ER. Your choice."

The BB Bandit paled and swallowed before hesitantly nodding her head. Creed held her for a moment longer, and then let her drop. The woman wasted no time in fleeing the elevator and the hotel.

"That was Vivian." Creed said to Rosie's unasked question. "She's the immediate superior of Snivels and Rex, and she's a decent Fighter." A wry look around the lobby. "I don't think Dimitri would have been impressed if we tore the lobby up in a Fossil Battle."

Still stunned, Rosie followed her into the elevator and they continued to Nick Nack's room.

The masked man glanced up as they entered and his eyes brightened.

"Here you go Mr. Nick Nack." Rosie said cheerfully, she held out the giant bug shell.

"This Molted Bug Shell will make a magnificent toboggan in the winter months!" the man grinned, taking the shell. "You have done very well! Thank you! Mercy bee-comb!" He turned and put it on an empty shelf.

Rosie blinked and then held out the Sandal Fossil.

"Now that I have BOTH sandals, it's like I have a snake and feet it too!" He laughed, and Creed blinked. _Snake and feet it too? Huh?_ "Grassy us!"

_Now _that_ I recognize, a slaughtered pronunciation of _gracias_._ Creed identified as Nick put the sandal next to the bug shell. She pulled out the Shark Dentures.

"My final treasure! How wonderful!" Nick crowed, twirling around with delight. "And not a single rotten tooth!" he took the dentures and studied them with care. "These will be perfect for cracking open even the hardest of walnuts!" The dentures went next to the previous two items. "Donkey shakes!"

_Donkey sha— never mind, I'm not even gonna think about it._

Nick studied Creed with an appraising eye. "I'm amazed, Mademoiselle Creed. Truly, a herd in your band is worth a few to push!"

_Say wha—?_

"As promised, you may take this beard ribbon." Creed accepted the proffered ribbon. "Oh! I forgot to mention—there was a group of three…odd-looking folks that also wanted the beard ribbon."

_You don't really have any right to call someone weird…_

"I made the same deal with them that I did with you, Mademoiselle Creed, but you were obviously more capable. "

"Well…that explains a lot." Creed murmured.

"So that's why they've been trying to get in our way! They wanted the same three crazy things!"

"Well, who wouldn't want a molted bug shell, sandal fossil, and shark dentures?" Nick asked with some confusion, brows furrowing. "But now I have them all," a dreamy look to the three items. "and my dream will finally come true…"

_Oh this oughta be _good_._

"Riding an exotic toboggan while wearing stone sandals and eating very hard walnuts…" A dreamy sigh. Nick twirled and waved his arms in the air. "Well, I have preparations to make. I'll see you two later!"

"What an odd man." Rosie murmured as they left the room.

"Interesting though." Creed chuckled. "I need to stop by the cleaning center, I have some new fossils to clean."

/\/\/\

**A/N**: Alright, in this chapter I exercise my creative rights, imputing the 'staff-twirling dance' in place of the 'hip-shaker dance'. Why? Several reasons:

I _hated_ that dance! I could barely stand to watch it in the game and could not bring myself to put Creed through such a humiliating action. I mean _really_…

Anyway, since I didn't want to utilize the 'hip-shaker dance' I had to come up with something else. So then something occurred to me, the Chieftain always carried an ornate staff, why not make use of it? I could actually see Creed doing a routine that's a mix of baton wielding and bo-staff training, and my beta commented that it made him think of the rifle routine some military groups do. It was a fun routine to try describe.

**Next Time**:

From what Felic had said, the krona were nicknamed the "T-Rex of the Sea" due to their ferocious power. A title that _should_ have been a blatant warning for what happened next.

Fingers wrapped around cool edges—

—and she was dragged down into icy depths.


	14. Chapter 4: Woolbeard the Pirate IV

**Woolbeard the Pirate IV**

The Dino Medal of her second newly revived vivosaur, a krona she aptly christened Glyph, dropped out of the slot for pick-up. While originally she thought him to be derived from the crocodilian mosasaur, perhaps a Tylosaurus, Felic had stated otherwise. Apparently he was derived from a kronosaurus, meaning 'lizard of Kronos', and was actually a short necked pliosaur, an offshoot of the plesiosaur family known for their resemblance to land saurpods like the brachiosaurus. The word 'pliosaur' meant 'More Lizard', probably because they resembled saurians, crocodilians in particular, more so than their cousins the plesiosaurs.

From what Felic had said, the krona were nicknamed the "T-Rex of the Sea" due to their ferocious power. A title that _should_ have been a blatant warning for what happened next.

Fingers wrapped around cool edges—

—and she was dragged down into icy depths.

_An ocean current, powerful, constant, directing. A lazily spiraling depth of dark red. Restless, faintly agitated. _

_Can't keep something like that contained…_ was the bleary thought. _Something could break._

_Push and pull, push and _pull_._

_Like floating in a swimming pool…relaxing…_

_Come,_ the water seemed to say, _come and rest, you don't have to be alone._

_Alone?_ A frown tugged. _I'm not alone…I have—_

_A sharp jolt of ice _yanked_. You _are_ alone, drifting helplessly. Come, we will grieve together, triumph together._

_That sounds l—_NO!

Like grasping at a river's bank, Creed tore from the center of that drowning current. She was dragged and yanked, but she didn't let go. Bracing, she _pulled_ and finally 'saw' what had pulled her under.

_A dark ocean, deceptively calm, a ruthless beast of a current just under the surface. An abyss of rolling blacks rimmed an ocean of potent dark reds. Out, out, OUT!_

Now aware of what she was dealing with, Creed stopped resisting, at least outright. Rather than digging in like Firma would do, she danced around the edge, gradually pulling herself free like Aero when he was evading a goyo. _This_ was why wind beat water.

Water struck like a flexible whip, beating away at enduring rock, or a rogue wave, dousing a flame that gets to near, it struck from the sides. Wind, on the other hand, simply did not get caught in the force, it struck from _behind_. It _scattered_ water and could either form currents or cancel them out.

How fortunate that Creed's first vivosaur was wind.

_You can't take me._ She taunted, going with the flow yet not being sucked under again. _You can try all you like, but I won't submit._

_A rogue wave shot out, a spear-point starburst of aggressive red-orange. You do not listen?_

Creed relaxed her grip as the wave washed over her, and then used the momentary surge to slide further out of the current. _You do not command me._

_Water welled up and surged in enraged reds._

_There we go._ With that push, Creed fully separated from the current, and the numbing _pull_ faded to waves lapping at her toes.

She felt the current thrash and surge in anger, frothing like white-capped rapids.

_If you act like that, you will never be let out._

_Surging current spluttered, starbursts of shocked pale blue and rapid streaks of fearful greens drowned out the angry reds, though the anger remained. Never? Impossible! Cannot be contained!_

_Were you fire, I'd believe you._ Creed jeered. _But you are water in a bowl. Bound by the walls containing you. I do not ever have to release you if this is how you will act. And you are helpless to rebel against me. You will be left until your strength wanes and you become like stagnant water. _The rapid series of blows were too much, and the current scattered in shock.

_The mighty current yielded and receded into pleading splashes of pleading greens. No, please no, do not…please._

_Let me control the flow._ Creed sent, softening from the harsh bite she had used moments before._ Let us learn to flow together. Trial and error, we will find your push to my pull. Will you give your consent?_

_Water lapped thoughtfully, a thoughtful mix of intrigued pale orange and submissive greens. …I concede._

Creed blinked slowly as the world faded back into focus. _This is becoming something of a habit…_ "Hello Dr. Diggins." She rasped softly.

"Are you alright? When I heard you had found a krona skull I tried to get here to warn you…" he trailed off helplessly.

"It's my fault." Creed groaned, sitting up. "I didn't think, didn't make the connection between Glyph's title and your story about the T-Rex." A grimace. "I'm sorry I worried you."

A somewhat awkward silence, and then—

"Did you—"

"We made a deal."

"What?"

"Water is strongest when working for a single goal. Scattered it is harmless. Glyph has agreed to try and let me direct his power. My pull to his push as the case may be…I can't really explain it beyond that I'm afraid."

Diggins straightened up, thoughtful. Creed took his extended hand and wobbly stood up.

"That's amazing, only a couple people have managed to acquire a kronos, and they could only control them because the fossils weren't very well cleaned." A considerate hum. "Will you be trying for a T-Rex—?"

"Not if I can help it." Creed cut him off. "It is hard enough to tame the water-aligned kronos, and that was only because I know how to strike like wind vivosaurs do." She shook her head. "And after Ferno managed to influence me so easily…no, I'd rather not risk it."

/\/\

_Something's looming, something troublesome._ Creed thought, shoulders rigid as she and Rosie re-entered Woolbeard's cabin. As soon as they stepped through the shattered door, Creed's suspicions were proven correct.

"Ah, that looks perfect on you, Captain Woolbeard." Vivian flattered, tying a ribbon around the now tamed beard. "Very dapper!"

_Oh this isn't going to end well._ Creed grimaced as the captain swirled around blissfully.

"I'm free!" Was the almost whispery cheer. "After all these long years, I can finally rest with my weary bones…"

"Woolbeard! Don't be fooled!" Rosie shouted. "That's not—!"

An ominous growl filled the cabin as the captain froze and stared down intently at the ribbon. "This isn't it!" he roared. "This be not my ribbon, ye scurvy scalawag! This won't lay my spirit to rest!"

Light flashed and the recognizable rip of tearing fabric sounded. The calm gray-blues that made up the captain's form roared into despicable violet-reds and his formerly cheerful, if melancholy, blue eye bled into a furious red. Clawed hand flashed and Vivian had to leap back as lightning-like ectoplasm struck the floorboards, leaving a blackened hole.

Woolbeard wailed loudly. "Ye thought ye could deceive _me_? Ye shall pay, ye turncoats!" He flung clawed fingers up high.

…_are those _Dino Medals_?_

"My ghost dinosaurs of the depths will teach ye not to play false with me! Arise spirits of dinosaurs past!"

Floorboards creaked and shattered as geysers of water suddenly gushed into the cabin.

"Quick! Get out!" Vivian spun and shot past the two Fossil Fighters.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Snivels and Rex spun and fled hot on her tail, just narrowly avoiding more blasts of ectoplasm.

"The water is flooding in!" Rosie cried as they suddenly found themselves chest deep in water.

"Get your helmet on, quick!"

"Destroy them: Elasmo, Plesio!"

"Hey! You've got the wrong guys!" Rosie screamed.

_There's not enough room here for Glyph… _Creed threw two Dino Medals. _Torrent, Delta: front and center!_

_Push and pull, small waves lapping harmlessly at sand's edge. A friendly expanse of yellow-greens, broken only by faint wisps of warning reds._

Just under seven meters long, Delta was one of the vivosaurs Creed had revived earlier. Distantly related to the spinosaur family, the theropod was built like an aggressive heron, long thin legs and a long neck topped by an angular head. While her variations of vivosaur were called deltas, Creed found it too beautiful a name for her to choose another. And so Delta she remained.

_Watch out for their long reach._ Creed cautioned, eyeing the two enemy vivosaur.

The larger of the two, called an elasmo was almost as long as Glyph, though most of that length was its flexible neck. The smaller, plesio, was only two meters long at the most. Both were derived from the plesiosaurus family and both looked mad.

"Elasmo Fury on Delta! Darting Blur on Alectro!"

"Delta: Snapping Bite! Torrent: Blue Fang!"

Both vivosaurs dived to opposite sides to confront the attacking enemies. Creed focused on Delta and the elasmo, as they were the largest and the biggest threat to Rosie and she.

A side step, snapping snake head over reached. White teeth flashed towards vulnerable neck—

—missed as the elasmo recoiled out of reach. Delta darted forward, teeth bared, twisted, and lashed out with a lightning-fast kick. While the neck evaded the blow, the elasmo's body wasn't nearly so swift. Sea water bubbled and frothed in a submerged hiss as the near lizard struck wooden wall.

_Recede and surge!_ "Delta Blitz!"

Angular jaws gaped and a geyser of water surged out. Bubbling water blocked the elasmo from sight in a manner similar to a dust cloud. When the bubbles dispersed it was to the sight of a lone medal on submerged floorboards.

_Water reeled and distressed ripples sent apprehensive wisps of green across a sea of pained grays and other washed out colors._

Creed's head jerked, eyes widened.

Torrent was barely upright, countless bite marks, many oozing with poison, marred his frame. Snake-like head darted in and out repeatedly, landing more and more blows ruthlessly. The theropod sent a pleading look in Creed's direction.

"Poison Breath!" _Give it a taste of its own medicine, or poison as the case may be._

Red eyes sharpened, maw widened, and a cloud of green stained into the water surrounding the theropod. The plesio darted _right into it._ It took mere moments for the toxins to take hold and for the near lizard to lurch and spasm violently.

_Blue Fang._ Creed sent, panting slightly.

A flash of white teeth and a Medal sunk to the floorboards.

And then, just like that, the water submerging the room drained away.

Recalling her vivosaurs, Creed and Rosie warily approached the fallen form of the Captain Woolbeard. Enraged hot colors faded to calmer cool colors as the captain blinked up at them owlishly. "Wha—What just happened?"

"Oh thank goodness you've regained your senses!" Rosie twirled victoriously.

"Regained…my senses?" confused glowing blue blinked.

"You sort of…" Rosie hesitated. "Lost your cool when the BB Bandits tried to trick you with a fake beard ribbon."

Woolbeard gave a distracted nod. "Aye, it's comin' back to me now…Those land-lubbing dogs! Why, I—"

Fearing another berserk rage, Rosie quickly leapt forward. "Wait! Before you fly off the handle again, let me tie on your REAL beard ribbon."

Quick as a whip, Rosie gathered all the wild beard hairs and locked them in place with the real ribbon. The ghost blinked, a little startled, before eyeing the ribbon intently. A laugh escaped him. "Aye! It fits just right! This is… This is my beard ribbon!"

He gave them a bright grin. "Many thanks to ye, sailors! Now I can return to me physical form." A sudden flash of rememberance. "Of course, for your reward, some o' me valued treasure!" A poof of smoke, and he was gone again.

"Yaaaayyy! Real treasure!" Rosie darted forward into the smoke eagerly. A startled hum sounded from inside the gradually dissipating smoke cloud, then an angry growl. "Again? Another one of these…these…tacky idols?" A howl. "Do you realize how hard we worked for that beard ribbon?"

Rosie reappeared and stormed past Creed. "You can keep it, Creed. I don't want it!"

Blinking after her, Creed turned back to where the smoke cloud had originated.

_Indeed it is, yet _another_ idol._ She hummed softly, picking it up. It was taller and thinner than the other two, with blue highlights. Creed frowned. _There's something funny about these things._ A pause, and then she shrugged and slipped it haphazardly into her backpack before hurrying after Rosie.

**/\/\/\**

**Next Time**:

_Why didn't she just use the VMM?_

A flash of movement. Water surged. Sharp teeth sunk into fragile flesh.

Creed cried out in pain and alarm she was grabbed and flung into an underwater boulder.


	15. Chapter 4: Woolbeard the Pirate V

**Woolbeard the Pirate V**

"Rosie. Rosie! Slow down!" _Running under water, this is _ridiculous_…_

The pinkette didn't seem to hear her, and kept running across the bay floor.

_Why didn't she just use the VMM?_

A flash of movement. Water surged. Sharp teeth sunk into fragile flesh.

Creed cried out in pain and alarm she was grabbed and flung into an underwater boulder.

_The idol!_

"Thanks for going through all that effort for me!" Vivian yelled back, idol in hand. Her plesio's teeth flashed red as they sped away.

"Now _that's_ a bigger fly swatter!" Snivels cackled.

_Why you—Glyph!_

_Water surged up from the depths, welling up into brutal waves of hate filled dark red and jagged blacks highlighted with streaks of loathing violet. Together!_

Water surged and Creed gripped rough skin. Glyph let out a roar that only a marine predator could make, and shot off after the fleeing bandits. The sea around them surged with them as they pursued, slowly speeding up and, like a growing storm, gathering power.

_Push!_

The current swelled forward with the force of a tsunami. The bandits, having not noticed their pursuers, were swept up into the current. Creed could hear their screams of terror over the speakers.

_Whirlpool!_

Glyph over took them, a cruel glint in his eyes. Twist, around and around, the current followed. The vortex sucked them in and spun them around and around in an upward spiral. A grunt and a strain of thickly corded muscles, Glyph put more power into his strokes as he continued to circle them.

The whirlpool met the surface of the water. An upward surge, the water broke its barriers and a waterspout rushed forward, taking the bandits with it.

_Snapping Jaws!_

The current twisted and swelled behind them, jettisoning the monstrous vivosaur out of the water like a rocket.

Iron jaws flashed and contacted with blubbery flesh.

_Track, reach, and _grab.

The plesio screamed as Glyph snapped his head to the side, sending the bandits careening back to the water as the waterspout shattered.

Momentum still propelling him up, it took several seconds for Glyph to reach the apex of his lunge and descend towards the water again. In the seemingly long moments of weightlessness, Creed felt her vision swim. A feeling of floating gradually encased her body, her limbs grew lax.

A splash, a shocking gush of water.

_At least my fingers didn't loosen…_ Creed thought wryly as Glyph swam down.

There, on the bay floor were the BB Bandits. From Creed's standpoint, she couldn't tell if they were stunned or unconscious.

_Water receded and gathered, springs of malicious reds and blacks pulling back for one more strike. Smash them, grind them into the sea bed—_Glyph dived in another Snapping Jaws strike.

_No!_ _Glyph! That is _enough!

Startled by the sudden pull, the lizard of Kronos just barely managed to veer away and strike soft mud rather than the disoriented BB Bandits.

_Sloshing waves splashing over a ledge. A startled wave of sharp pale blue. But they—_

_Enough is enough, calm your wrath. Recede and return to me._ Creed's eyelids sagged. Feeling detached from her own body, Creed's eyes drifted down to her still bleeding side.

_Green…poison…_ Darkness edged in along her peripheral vision. _Sure…why not poison…?_

Aquamarine drifted closed.

_Water reeled, starbursts of terrified dark greens drowned out previously malicious reds and blacks. Chief!_

/\/\

_Heavy…_

Drifting upon lazy waves, that was the first coherent thought to cross her mind.

…_Warm…feels nice._

A persistent nudging to her shoulder, a low muffling sound.

_Something's…strange…I don't think I should be here…_

The muffling seemed to become clearer. A voice?

Dark static began to fill her awareness again and she felt herself slipping away…

_A sharp burst of wind amidst splashes of determined reds and apprehensive pale green streaks. Wake up Creed! Please wake up!_

The nudging became a shake, dispersing the static. Some feeling returned. A slight chill, but warmth behind her back and—

The world snapped back into place as Creed jerked violently. Hissing she tried to curl around whatever was pressing against her side. The pain was sharp and sudden…and quite the wakeup call.

"You awake, Ms. Peregrine?"

_Not Dimitri…to deep. Then who—oh._

"C'p'tain?" her voice was far from as level as she would have preferred.

Bullwort nodded. "Brace yourself, this might sting—"

The hiss of a spray followed by a sharper sting. A hiss escaped Creed's throat but Bullwort's strong hand kept her from curling up again.

Chicane chirred anxiously, nuzzling Creed's cheek just shy of frantically. Reflexively, Creed reached up and stroked the swift thief's cheek, cooing soothingly.

Now awake, she glanced around.

_The Park Area?_ She realized. _I didn't know there was a dock here…_

"There," Bullwort stood up. "That should do it."

Blinking, Creed glanced down to see pristine bandages wrapped around her abdomen. She hadn't even felt Bullwort wrap them. Admittedly, the pressure did help stave off some of the pain.

"Can you stand?"

"I think so…" With Chicane's help, Creed shakily rose to her feet.

Bullwort nodded, half-closed eyes looking somewhat relieved. "Good, the bite isn't too deep, just a slight break in the skin. Luckily plesios have very short teeth."

"How do you know it was a plesio that bit me?"

A pause. "Well, it's the only poisonous water vivosaur I'm familiar with that has that kind of bite pattern. Am I wrong?"

Red hair swung back and forth in a negative nod. "No, you're correct." Why did she feel edgy all of a sudden? A low, sub harmonic growl resounded through the back of her ribs, though Chicane was careful to make sure it wasn't audible

—"_McJunker says that v-raptors hate liars, so you should only trust people who can keep them."—_

Creed frowned.

"Something wrong, Ms. Peregrine?"

Eye twitched. "I thought I told you not to call me that." She ground out.

A teasing chuckle. "Well, it wouldn't be polite to call the heir of the Peregrine family so informally."

The tick deepened. "I told you before, if I must be well known in the public eye, it will be for _my own_ merits. Not my parent's."

Bullwort just smiled unrepentantly. "Come on, I'll walk you back to the hotel."

Using Chicane as a crutch, Creed started for the hotel, grateful that at least she managed not to _hobble_.

"I'd suggest you sleep off the rest of that poison." Bullwort suggested as they stopped in the lobby. "Take a couple hour nap, the Level-Up Battles will keep going until later this evening."

Humming distractedly, Creed nodded. "I think I'll do that. Thank you Captain."

A shrug. "Don't mention it, just watch out not to get bit again." He walked off, chuckling.

It wasn't until Creed had lain down in her bed, Chicane curled around her, that she realized that she was still clutching the tacky idol in an iron grip. Or notice the suspiciously shaped bruise around the same wrist.

/\/\

_These fights don't seem to be getting any harder…should I be concerned?_ Creed wondered, stepping into the Lobby after her second preliminary match.

It turned out that for the level-up battles to advance to level 5 were made more complex in order to make sure only people fully ready would pass: two preliminary matches against other hopeful Fighters and then the fight against the level 4 Master.

Receiving the 'go-ahead' from Tiffany, Creed returned to the arena for her final fight.

"Mademoiselle Creed, welcome to the finale! Yoop!"

Unsurprised, Creed smiled. "Hello Nick."

Nick Nack grinned brightly and twirled around. "I'll bet you think you've got yourself an easy victory ahead, Ms. Master-of-Beard-Ribbons. I hate to rain on your marmalade, but Nack will huff and puff and blow your mouse down!"

_Parade and house._ Creed's mind supplied as she smiled. "You're welcome to try.

A laugh. "We will find out soon enough, Mademoiselle Creed, if you can jive with Level 5…And it is Nack who shall test you! Yoop! Yoop! Combaaaaat!"

They entered the arena and took their places.

Creed sent out Firma, Ferno, and Lethar as Nick released his own vivosaurs.

At point stood a vivosaur known as an elasmoth. Just over five meters long, it resembled a prehistoric _rhinoceros_, called an elasmotherium, meaning "Thin Plate Beast", and had a massive golden horn protruding from its nose and a rigid white mane running down its neck and withers.

On its starboard side was a close cousin of the tricera vivosaurs and triceratops dinosaurs, known as a styraco. Just over six meters long, it was predominately blue with a red and yellow 'ray' pattern running along its back.

On the elasmoth's port side was a tiny vivosaur that loosely resembled a u-raptor in design, but with mostly greens and oranges, called an m-raptor. It was the smallest vivosaur Creed had seen yet, no more than a meter in length.

"Ruin Beam!"

All three vivosaurs glowed. _What in the—move!_

Ferno was the only one fast enough to fully avoid the tri-pronged strike that shot out from the elasmoth's giant horn. Lethar was clipped as he tried to evade and Firma, being the slowest, was struck head on.

"Ferno: S-Fang on the elasmoth!"

Sand sprayed, a roar resonated.

"Evade it!"

Fangs gleamed and closed down—

—on empty air.

_How could it sidestep like that? It should be too heavy…_ Aquamarine landed on the m-raptor, which was standing stock still as if focusing on something. _Ah…so that's how it is…I suspect the styraco is doing something similar. Let's do something about it, shall we?_

"Ruin Beam again!"

_Again? Oh well, _"Lethar: Wind Spear!"

Spaded tail rose, golden horn flashed. The two attacks narrowly missed collision, but both struck home. Creed's vivosaurs winced at the blow, but were relatively unharmed. Same could not be said of the m-raptor…

A Dino Medal dropped from a suspiciously shaped indent of the arena wall.

"Ferno: Fall back and use S-Fury!" Creed commanded. "Firma: Venator Fury in tangent!"

The wind-affinity vivosaurs didn't have a prayer.

/\/\

Mademoiselle Creed!" Nick laughed, feathers notably charred with a layer of gritty ash coating his face. "Congratulations! You beat me pear and square!" A thoughtful pause. "Then again, you did collect three incredibly rare items for me, AND defeat an enraged Woolbeard!" A chuckle. "Mademoiselle, you seem to make a habit out of doing the impossible!"

_Fair and square,_ her mind supplied_. _A shrug. "What can I say? It's a gift."

Another laugh. "When it comes to Fossil Battles, Mademoiselle Creed, nobody does it wetter than you!"

_Better._

Nick held out a new Fighter's License. "I hereby certify you, Mademoiselle Creed, as a Level 5 Fighter." Creed took the license and Nick waved. "I won't hesitate to ask you the next time I need something special." A twirling pivot. "Toodle-loo!" the eccentric man walked away, a slight skip to his step.

"Creed!" Rosie walked up. "So how'd it go?" She spotted the new license. "Wow! You already leveled up! That's great!" A somewhat crestfallen expression crossed her face. "I lost my second preliminary," A determined gleam, "but I'm going to try again! I just need to focus on what you taught me in Greenhorn Plains!"

"A little bit of extra practice probably wouldn't hurt you either." Creed pointed out.

A nod, "Those idols, though? I'm starting to wonder about those." Rosie frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe we should have Dr. Diggins or my grandfather look into them. Just a thought." Pink eyes landed on Creed's side and she gasped. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Glancing down at the bandages, Creed shrugged. "I got ambushed by the BB Bandits…" A wry snicker. "Vivian decided to express just how much she dislikes me."

"She attacked you?"

A nod. "Had her plesio bite me." A malevolent gleam entered aquamarine. "Of course, in retaliation she and the others got bashed around by Glyph. They were unconscious on the sea bed last I saw them, though they're probably long gone by now—long gone meaning they've fled again."

"She had her plesio _bite_ you? Aren't they poisonous?"

Another nod. "Yes, but Captain Bullwort gave me a vaccine when Glyph brought me ashore again." A pause. "Don't worry, I'm fine, it wasn't serious. Besides…don't you have a rematch to prepare for?"

"That's right!" Rosie hesitated and gave Creed one last worried look before turning and walking away. "See you later!"

/\/\/\

**Next Time**:

"Sorry to drag you down here, Creed,"

_He used my given name…something is _definitely_ wrong._

"but there's something I need to ask you." A pause. Bullwort held out a small photo for Creed to see. "You see…Rosie has been kidnapped."


	16. Chapter 5: BB Boss Revealed! I

**Chapter 5  
BB Boss Revealed! I**

"Ghosts Can Battle Too!"

_It's reported that the ghost of _

_famous pirate Woolbeard does indeed _

_exist deep in Bottomsup Bay._

_Woolbeard is said to confront those_

_who enter his sunken ship…and_

_Challenge them to Fossil Battles!_

_As a message to our readers, if you _

_see him, running will only make him _

_mad. It's best just to battle him._

/\/\

_I'm…feeling anxious,_ Creed thought with a frown as she walked towards the doors of the hotel lobby. _Something's wrong…_

"Creed, right?"

Creed turned to look at the approaching police officer. She nodded a confirmative.

"I'll have to ask you to follow me to the Police Station."

A frown. "Is something wrong?"

The officer shifted uncomfortably, "…The Captain should be the one to tell you…"

A soft hum. "Very well, lead the way."

/\/\

"Sorry to drag you down here, Creed,"

_He used my given name…something is _definitely_ wrong._

"but there's something I need to ask you." A pause. Bullwort held out a small photo for Creed to see. "You see…Rosie has been kidnapped."The slight stiffening of her spine was the only outward reaction Creed gave. Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly as she took in the image of Rosie tied in thick ropes with duct tape over her mouth.

Bullwort held up a hand-written note. "We got this letter from the kidnappers."

Creed's eyes narrowed a little more at the choice of wording.

"Let me read it: _Bring the idols to the Park Area dock._" The Captain glanced up again. "I know you've been spending a lot of time with Rosie. Do you know anything about these idols they mention? Because, er," a distinctly uncomfortable look crossed his face. "we don't know anything about them at all. We're a bit at a loss, lass."

Creed frowned, but didn't speak. Another officer entered the office and exchanged quiet words with Bullwort.

_There's something suspicious about this…_

The officer left and Bullwort looked at Creed again. "Anyway, Creed, thanks for your time. Sorry to bother you about this. You can go home now." He turned away and muttered under his breath, "I wonder what will happen to Rosie if no one takes those idols to the Park Area dock…?"

Whether or not he intended Creed to hear him was uncertain. All the same, Creed remained quiet and silently left the office.

_Me thinks I'm being set up…_

/\/\

_I don't know whether to be annoyed or amused…_

Hunkered down in the bushes, Creed studied the sight before her. _Honestly, can they be any more conspicuous?_ Brazen 'BB' emblem aside, the slate gray coloration of the boat did not make it look any less suspicious than the BB Bandit stooge standing guard on the dock.

_Of course,_ a wry smirk crossed her face, _he probably thinks he's being clever._

A Dino Medal gleamed in her hand. _Chicane, deal with him._

White fur flashed, a startled cry of pain sounded. The swift thief glanced back at Creed, the unconscious bandit pinned under talon-tipped toes. Creed nodded and the two of them entered the boat, leaving the bandit where he lay.

…_An automatic pilot button…how droll…_

All the same, she pressed the button and the ship pulled away from the dock.

_Hang on Rosie…_

/\/\

_A growing rip-current of violent reds. Now?_

_Patience, Glyph, I'll call when it is time, for now, stay out of sight._ Creed returned. She felt the impatience of the great water vivosaur, but knew he understood and would obey.

Cloaked in shadows, darting between and over various crates without a sound two figures advanced unnoticed. Astride Chicane, Creed swiftly penetrated deeper and deeper into the BB Base, rapidly scaling high ascending stairwells.

_Aero, are you and the others ready for this?_

_A raging gale roared through a winding background of aggressive red-orange splashed with dark loathing violets. We are ready, they will pay._

_Indeed they will._ Creed agreed, grasping her chosen team's Dino Medals between her fingers.

_Wind screamed, panicked streaks of dark green and red shattered red-orange landscape. Watch out!_

A blur of movement, a flash of claws, glass shattered and Creed found herself falling.

"We're on the fifth floor." Vivian chuckled maliciously. "Happy landings little girl."

"We'll take care of these Medals." Snivels crouched down next to the fallen Dino Medals. A startled yelp and the hawk-nosed man shot back, clutching his gloved hand.

"What's wrong?" Vivian demanded.

"The medal burned me!" was the squawked response.

"That's imposs—"

A flash of light cut her off.

Ferno, Aero, and Delta reared and roared in fury.

"Th-the medals activated by themselves! The kid isn't controlling them!"

Wind screamed through the window. A sharp bill struck the megath, a critical blow causing its Dino Medal to skip across the hard floor.

Light as a cat, Creed landed on Aero's head, Mistral's medal returning to her sleeve.

"So that's how you want to play?" Creed smiled. It was not a benevolent smile. "Fine then, let's play."

Whites of their eyes plainly visible, the BB Trio franticly released their own vivosaurs: a carchar, nodo, and styraco.

_And me with no earth vivosaurs on the field._ A sharp eyed smirk. _Oh well, power and skill can overcome even an affinity disadvantage… Oh look, that carchar remembers Ferno, how quaint._

"S-Fury," The BBs paled. "and Cyclone." _Tone it down this time Ferno, Aero, you're to spread the flame. Delta: use Delta Blitz afterwards… No need to cause more damage than absolutely necessary._

"Leaping Gore!"

"Carchar Combo!"

Rex gave a frantic howl.

They were too slow.

The very air itself seemed to catch a blaze as the roaring inferno bared down on the three lunging vivosaurs. Smoking medals slammed into the far wall. Smoke and flames turned to steam as a well aimed spray of water banked the inferno.

With both Rex and Snivels incapacitated, Vivian only had herself to rely on to defeat the merciless Fighter. Two medals flashed between her fingers as she pulled back to release them—

A flash of fur and pearly fangs. _The V-raptor!_ Too late. Pain blossomed from her side as the BB's vision whited out.

"Unpleasant, isn't it?"

Glassy turquoise cracked open. Vivian felt sick, the whole world swam before her eyes and she was overcome by a terrible sense of vertigo. Despite this, she could just make out cold aquamarine staring down at her.

"Perhaps you should have considered the _Laws of Reprisal_ before you had your plesio bite me."

_She's going to let me die!_ The terrible realization came through her foggy mind. _She's…_

Something cool touched her inflamed side. Warm breath touched her ear.

"Isn't it fortunate, then, that I have mercy?"

Vivian couldn't think a coherent thought from the shock, both mental and physical, and pain.

Snorting softly, Creed straightened up and turned away from the semi-conscious women. Raising a hand, she recalled her other vivosaurs.

_A whir of wind accenting questioning pale-orange. Why did you spare her?_ Chicane walked up, nuzzling her quizzically.

Fingers ran through rigid crest feathers. _I have no desire to kill. That she does not have the same decency is irrelevant, I simply wanted to prove a point._

Though still puzzled, the swift thief accepted the answer and returned to his Dino Medal.

Without a backward glance, Creed climbed the final set of stairs. Calmly, she entered the top most floor—

"Well, well, Creed. What took you so long?"

"Hello to you too…Captain Bullwort."

A strange, unnerving smile crossed Bullwort's face as he turned to face Creed. "With your accomplishments, I figured you'd make it here sooner or later. I just thought it would be sooner." A vaguely curious look. "You're not surprised?"

"You were rather blatant about it." Creed held up her bruised wrist as proof. "And you knew far too much about the situation and worded it very oddly. 'Kidnappers'." A scoff. "Honestly."

"Poor, kidnapped Rosie here has been wondering if you would EVER show." A large step to the side.

Rosie sent Creed a pleading look from where she lie bound before Bullwort stepped in the way again. Creed frowned. "You took her after the Level-Up matches, when she went to thank you for helping me."

It was more of an educated guess than a solid belief, but it was the only thing that made sense.

Bullwort let out a maniacal laugh and spun around. His police uniform was tossed aside, in its place a purple jumpsuit like a more decorated version of the BB Grunt uniform. Half-closed eyes opened fully to reveal true malicious intent.

"No one saw it coming, of course. I've worn the friendly, smiling mask of the police captain for a long, long time. Except for you it seems." A full body gesture. "But this is the real me… Bartholomew Bullwort, BB Boss!" A rebuking look. "If you had just handed over the idols nicely, then poor Rosie wouldn't be in this situation." Dino Medals flashed between gloved fingers.

"If I had, then you wouldn't have exposed your true self." Creed pointed out. _And I didn't really think about it…_

"I hate to do this," _Your tone suggests otherwise._ "but I can't have you spoiling my secret, can I?"

_Sauropods!_

At point was the smallest of the three, slightly less than ten meters. Derived from the amargasaurus, called an amargo, its most distinctive trait were the long sharp spikes running down its long neck. To one side stood a blue and gray sauropod, known as a salto, standing at thirteen meters, though it was dwarfed by the third member of the trio. At _sixteen_ meters, longer than even _Glyph_, was a gray and red-orange sauropod known as a shuno.

_This is not going to be easy…the sauropods are reputed to being some of the strongest vivosaurs to be found._ Creed thought from atop Delta's back. _We can't afford to be hit head on if we want to survive…_ A glance at the floor. _I have to get Rosie out of here first…_

"Ferno: S-Combo! Torrent: Alectro Combo!"

Bullwort laughed. "You think that can do anything? Salto: Salto Crush on S-Raptor! Amargo: Amargo Stomp!"

The two sauropods shifted, and reared back—

"Move!" _Jump!_

The two theropods broke off their attacks, and leapt back as trunk-like legs slammed into the ground. The entire base _shook_ from the force of the impacts and the windows encompassing the room _shattered_. Fortunately, Creed's vivosaurs managed to avoid damage from the accompanying shockwaves due to going airborne.

"Again, watch out this time!"

"Shuno Combo!"

Mace tail swung. Ferno and Torrent cried out as they collided with the wall.

Bullwort laughed. "How do you expect to win when you can't even get close?" A blink, "Wait—where'd she g—?"

"Delta Combo!"

A howl, a crash. Delta leapt back from the fallen amargo.

"Why you—hey!" Bullwort gaped. "How did you—?"

Creed smirked, Rosie safely in her grip. "Ferno: S-Combo Deuce!"

Bullwort's head whipped around, eyes wide, as Salto was struck. The massive sauropod stumbled as Ferno leapt straight up.

The Chinese Thief twisted mid-air, and then slammed his clawed feet down on the small head, hard. The Dino Medal bounced across the ground.

A vicious growl, then: "Shuno: Flamequake on all of them!"

Creed's pupils contracted. _Need to get Rosie out _now! She looked down sharply. "Do you trust me?"

Still bound and gagged, the pinkette nodded, eyes wide.

"Don't panic!"

Grabbing rope bonds, Creed spun around sharply and yanked her off Delta's back. "Delta, quick!"

Blue claw caught Rosie. Delta braced, and then whipped around.

_Mistral, guard her!_

Rosie screamed around the gag as she was thrown out the window. Creed didn't have time to watch as the shuno's powerful limbs struck the ground.

Fire shot outward. Ferno cried out as the blast flung him into hard wall. Creed cringed as his Dino Medal dropped to the floor. _We _cannot_ let that strike us. _

"Aqua Cannon!"

Delta and Torrent, standing shoulder-to-shoulder opened their jaws and fired a twin blast of high pressurized water, the two blasts fused together, cutting through the fire directly in front of them.

Steam filled the room, despite the open windows.

Creed panted, wincing slightly at the vitality drain that accompanied the team skill. It was worse than a 3rd Tier attack. _We have to work fast, or else this building will collapse!_ "Again!" She felt her vitality being siphoned from her and into her fighting vivosaurs.

"Shuno Combo!"

Mace tail descended.

_Drop! _Their attack disrupted, the gathered vitality dispersed as the two theropods evaded the attack. _Okay, that won't work again…_ Creed's eyes glinted. _Glyph: Waterspout!_

"Shockwave and Epicente—_What?_"

Water surged, a roar bellowed, spiraling waves crashed across the floor. "Krona Jaws!" Glyph burst from the center of the current. Hissing water, a crash of bone-on-bone, the shuno reared back and its medal sloshed into the water. Water filled the room faster than it could drain.

_Delta Combo!_

Steam exploded as the amargo's medal joined the others.

The room drained. Creed slumped over Delta's withers, catching Glyph's medal as it returned to her, and panted heavily.

_Receding waves exposed concerned greens. Are you alright?_ Torrent walked over, sniffing her with some anxiety.

Creed's hand stroked the theropod's nose. _I'll be fine, I'm just tired right now._

_Water rippled through calm waves of yellow and concerned splashes of green. You should rest soon. _Delta stated, glancing back at her before lowering to the floor.

_I will, thank you._ The two vivosaurs returned to their medals and Creed swayed blearily before shaking her head to clear it. Breathing deeply, she looked over at the waterlogged Bullwort.

Sloshing footsteps made her turn.

"We just arrested the last few BB soldiers." One of the officers informed, notably damp. They marched over to Bullwort. "Captain Bullwort…You are also under arrest!"

A click of handcuffs and the officers hastily left, convict in tow.

A flap of air, Mistral landed lightly next to Creed.

_A whisper of wind, colored with concerned greens and streaks of questioning pale orange. Will you be alright?_

_I'm alright, just tired._

Rosie, ungagged and unbound, slid down the feathered serpent's wing.

"I apologize," Creed bowed apologetically, "for throwing you out the window, but I had to get you out of blast range."

"It-it's alright." Rosie stuttered. "Thank you so much, Creed. That was incredibly brave of you. Really…thank you."

Creed stumbled as deceptively strong arms wrapped around her waist. Taken aback, she glanced down at the mess of pink hair before awkwardly draping her arms over Rosie's shoulder. A polite cough made them both glance away.

"Rosie," the officer said softly, "Mr. Richmond is worried about you. You should get back to town."

With a nod, Rosie pulled away. "Oh, of course. Thank you, officer." A glance back at Creed. "I have to get back now, Creed." A sudden smile. "But come to see me later at my grandfather's place." 

With one last wave, the pinkette turned and left with the officer. Creed watched her leave, before letting her body sag with weariness. A sigh, and then the Fighter retrieved Ferno's medal and then followed after them, unaware that she was being watched.

"We're just going to let them go?" A masculine tone sounding incredulous, "Why not just steal the devices from them now? They couldn't stop us." A jeering hiss. "That girl looks as if a small breeze could knock her over."

"I think we need not worry." A second, feminine tone, disagreed, "They still have not found the last one. We can simply wait until they are all collected together, then take them."

A considerate hum, almost a purr. "But what about the BB Bandits?" a pause. "We can't count on them anymore. Who exactly will we have looking for the last device?"

"I believe I have a solution to that problem already…"


	17. Chapter 5: BB Boss Revealed! II

**BB Boss Revealed! II**

Creed, I can't ever thank you enough! You saved my granddaughter!" Richmond dipped his head. "You have my sincerest thanks."

"I was happy to help." Creed spoke softly, returning the nod.

"So, Grandpa…" Rosie turned to look at the white haired man. "Why do you think the BB Bandits were after the idols?"

Richmond looked down at his daughter, eyes severe. "The investigators believed that they were hired for the job." Eyes landed back on Creed. "Apparently, a man and a woman offered to pay them ten billion gold for the four idols."

Rosie's eyes widened. Creed whistled shrilly. Slipping her fossil case from her sleeve and placed the three idols on the desk in front of them.

"Wait," Rosie frowned, "someone is willing to pay money for these things." An incredulous look. "A _lot_ of money? But why?"

Richmond hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder if there might be more to these idols than we thought…some kind of hidden secret?" another hum. "I'll have Diggins take a closer look at them." A questioning look to Creed, who nodded, Richmond removed the three idols and then turned to his granddaughter again.

"Rosie," he began firmly. "I don't mind you entering Fossil Battles, but don't do anything else to get yourself in trouble."

"Yes, sir, Grandpa." Rosie saluted. Creed snorted.

"Rosie stay _out_ of trouble?" she sniggered. "Almost every time I've run into her she's been in the middle of _some_ predicament or another."

"That's not true!"

Creed arched an eyebrow and just _stared_ at the pinkette. "Medal-Dealer Joe, the Digadigs, Blambeau, Denture Sharks…need I go on?"

A pink flush spread across Rosie's cheeks. Richmond chuckled, but still looked concerned.

"Creed, keep your eye on Rosie for me, would you?"

A nod. "Of course."

Rosie cleared her throat. "Well, I'm going to go practice for the Level-Up Battles tomorrow. I'll see you later Creed, and thanks again!"

/\/\

"Creed!"

Turning, Creed smiled. "Hello Dr. Diggins."

The cyan haired man smiled back, stopping in front of her. "I heard about Rosie and Bullwort." A frown. "I can't believe he fooled us for so long…"

"Did you need something?"

A jerk. "Oh, yes, I wanted to perform another experiment and was wondering…"

A nod. "Sure, what's it about this time?"

The scientist grinned and his eyes gleamed with excited anticipation. "I'm going to see how a Fossil Fighter bonds with their vivosaur during the cleaning and revival process."

Creed blinked, head tilting to one side. "I don't have any new fossils right now."

A dismissive wave. "Oh don't worry about that."

Another grin and Diggins darted back in the direction of the Fossil Center.

_He's channeling Rosie…_ Creed sighed, unresisting as the scientist dragged her after him by the elbow. A fond smile. _ Well, this should be fun in any case._

The duo barreled into the lobby of the center, the employees only giving them a passing glance, and made a b-line towards the cleaning room. Then, to Creed's surprise, Diggins dragged her to a room beyond that marked 'employees only', which she hadn't paid attention to previously.

"Here we are!"

"Great. Can you let go now? My arm's going numb."

"Oh! Sorry." Now sheepish, Diggins released his grip. Face flat, Creed rotated her shoulder and massaged the limb, trying to coax blood to flow again. "Here are the Fossil Rocks you'll clean."

…_They're white…that would mean—_"A neutral vivosaur?"

A nod. "That's right." A gesture to the white shelled fossil rocks. "They're for a vivosaur called a 'tro', it's about the size of your Chicane. Since it's small I figured it would make the cleaning and revival more convenient."

"I'll be able to keep it?"

Another nod. "Of course, you're the one who's going to revive it after all." He stepped over. "Now, wear these so I can take the readings."

Creed twitched at the cold plastic connecting to her temple, wires streaming down to one of the computers, resisting the urge to scratch them off. _Just focus on cleaning, I'll forget the wires are even there._

Picking up her tools, she set to work.

Soften the rock with her hammer, removing the hardest layer and the annoying, though easily dealt with, colored shell. Once outer most layers are removed, switch to drill. Chip off a little here, cut off a bit there…ah, now the bone was becoming visible.

Continuing along this vein, Creed cleaned all four fossils, Diggins jotting down notes so fast his paper should have been smoking from the resulting friction.

Felic then moved the fossils to the revival chamber.

_Drowsy, lethargic grays swirled with faint splashes of questioning pale orange._ Bleary red-orange eyes blinked out from behind the glass. The lack of an elemental affinity felt somewhat disconcerting.

_It looks like a Picasso piece…_ Creed noted, eyeing the odd color pattern of the tro's hide, a combination of blues, pinks, whites, and a couple others. Derived from a Troodon, meaning 'wounding tooth', it was very light in build, very lithe, but with well developed muscles suggesting great speed.

Creed took a small step forward. _Hello._

Multi-colored head cocked curiously.

_Grays warmed into more alert yellow-oranges, splashes of questioning pale orange splashes still present. He…llo?_

A smile._ It's nice to meet you, Acryl._

Red-orange blinked. _Questioning pale orange spread and deepened. Acryl?_

_Your name, do you oppose?_

A thoughtful chirr, sickle claws tapping the metal flooring of the chamber. _A soft starburst of consenting orange. I do not…but who are you?_

_I am Creed, the one who revived you._

_Another splash of questioning pale orange. Revived me? What does that mean now?_

_You and I will work together, fight together, live together. _

Another thoughtful chir. _A growing background of accepting pale green. That…sounds nice._

_I'm glad you approve._

With a dismissive nod, Creed retrieved Acryl's Dino Medal as it came out of the slot. Turning, she looked at Diggins—

—and smothered a loud sigh. _Of course…_ "Sir?"

Mumbling theories and observations under his breath, the scientist waved her off. "Thank you, Creed…That'll be enough for now."

Shaking her head in amused exasperation, Creed did so, leaving the center and returning to the hotel.

/\/\

A knock made Creed glance up from her book.

"Hey Creed!" Rosie's voice drifted through the closed door. "Could I come in for a bit?"

"It's open." Creed responded, returning her gaze to the words on the page.

A moment later Rosie stepped out onto the balcony. Acryl and Chicane both glanced up, the former from a sunny corner of the balcony, the later from behind Creed's back. They chirred at her and then lay their heads down again.

Rosie paused, a little taken aback before looking at Creed.

"What are you reading?"

"Aesop's Fables." Creed turned a page.

A blink. "You don't seem like the kind of person to read that kind of thing."

A shrug. "They're interesting and informative. Did you need something?"

"Just thought I'd stop by to say hello before I went home." Rosie leaned over to glance at the pages of the book. "The Cat and the Birds?"

"It's about a cat who dressed up as a doctor to try and get into an aviary. The birds said that they'd be fine once they saw the last of the cat."

Rosie cocked her head. "What's the moral of the story, then? I know they all have one."

A smirk. "The moral is that a villain may disguise himself, but he will not deceive the wise. A lesson to live by, I'd think." A snicker and a sly sideways glance. "Such as yourself and one Medal Dealer Joe, eh?"

A blush and Rosie spluttered before retorting, "Oh yeah? What about Bullwort?"

Eyebrows arched. "Need I point out that you fell for it as well?" A shrug. "I was, apparently, not quite wise enough, though I did suspect something was off."

Rosie just sulked and Creed chuckled again, bookmarking her place.

"So how was your practice?"

The pinkette perked up, eyes brightening up. "Oh, it was great! I found a bunch of new vivosaurs! That fossil chip they sell at the store works wonders."

"I can imagine."

A frown. "You already have one, don't you?"

"Yup."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Temper flared up as Rosie glared, back stiff with indignation.

A shrug. "You never asked and it never came up. I have most of the upgrades."

"Where'd you get all the gold for them? It takes me forever to get enough!"

Another chuckle. "I'm a bit of a Jewel Rock magnet, and I have an agreement with the Paragon Seekers. I take it you have trouble with their members?"

A huff. "Of course I do! Everyone does! They take at least every other Jewel Rock I find! Wait…" Pink eyes narrowed. "What kind of 'agreement'?"

"They leave me alone and I don't hospitalize their associates."

Jaw dropped. "You wouldn't _really_ do that, would you?"

A shrug. "It's kind of hard to hold back when I'm annoyed. Weak vivosaurs are quite frail compared to my team. And my vivosaurs tend to get a little…spiteful when forced to handle tedious fights. So it's really for their own safely since they can't actually stand up against me."

A frown. "Isn't that a little…vain?"

Another shrug. "It's not vanity if it's true, is it?"

"…I don't think so…"

"There, you see?" A pause. "Don't worry. You're becoming quite a fearsome Fighter yourself. You just need to get more experience."

"You really think so?"

"We're both level five, are we not?" A smile. "Remember, most Fighters can't climb ranks nearly as fast as you and I have." A frown. "Just don't get cocky."

A matching frown. "You should take your own words to heart."

A shrug. "I have yet to be beaten in a Fossil Battle."

"Pride goes before a fall."

Aquamarine eyes rolled. "Might makes right."

"The battle is not always to the strong."

A blink, and then a laugh. "Touché, seems you're quite familiar with fables yourself. Still doesn't change the facts, though. No one has beaten me yet while you still have a fairly even win-loss ratio."

Rosie 'hmphed'. "I just can't win with you, can I?"

Another laugh. "Not likely."

Silence descended for several long moments.

"Well, I should get going now."

"Alright, have a good evening."

"You too." With a wave, the pinkette left for home, leaving Creed alone with her vivosaurs.

_Wind whispered softly through thoughtful pale blues and greens. She…does have a point, Creed. _Chicane chirred softly, looking at Creed.

Creed scratched the ridge of his jaw. "I know, but there have been few people to actually challenge us in a fight."

_A sharp gust of cold stirred up splashes of cautioning red-violets. Holt._

A frown. "I know, he came the closest, but he still didn't beat us.

_Warm air spiraled down into sudden cold. Colors cooling to disapproving blues. You only won because you rode on Ferno's fury, you would have been to weak from the vitality drain to react enough to retaliate otherwise… You were too weak to resist the fire's pull._

Frown deepened and Creed opened her mouth to oppose—

—paused, thinking it over carefully, before conceding to the swift thief's point. "You're right. I was too weak…but I was able to resist Glyph's pull."

The raptor dipped his head, conceding to that point, but sent her a warning look.

_Brisk air spiraled, warming to a more neutral temperature, disapproving blues were suddenly broken up and accented by the cautioning reds. Water is different from fire, though both are strong. Glyph pulled on your longing for a stronger master and a goal to strive for…but Ferno pulled on the fires of your pain and rage, the desire to avenge fallen friends, and the resolve to reach that goal at any cost._

Creed blinked, and frowned again. "I see your point…but…my 'longing for a stronger master', what do you mean? I'm not aware of such a desire."

_Winds warmed and danced suddenly, amused yellows and bright greens were accented by flecks of almost mischievous oranges. I know much about you that you are unaware of, as does Aero, we know your heart best._

With that, the raptor lay his head down again and refused to answer any more of Creed's questions. Instead he opted to tell Acryl of Creed's strength and triumphs when the former asked if the Fighter was really so strong. Creed's annoyance was replaced with amusement at the swift thief's following responses.

/\/\/\

"Congratulations! You made it to the final battle!" Tiffany praised as Creed strode up to the lobby desk. "You have to win within a fixed amount of time. This time that limit is 15 minutes."

Creed nodded. "Alright, thank you." She turned, and started for the arena.

As with her 4th Level Matches, she had preliminaries to bypass, this time two prelim battles with two other Fighters she did not know. What made it interesting was that she had to win in twenty minutes or less.

_Well, well, _Creed thought, _why am I not surprised?_

"Excellent, Creed!" Diggins grinned at her. "You made it to the final battle." He folded his arms. "Your success against the BB Bandits clearly wasn't a fluke!" Grin broadened. "Now _I_ get to test you, Creed. _I'M_ the one who will determine if you make Level 6 or not."

"It'll be a pleasure." Creed dipped her head, eyes alight.

"Get ready, Creed, and let's see if you can beat me within the time limit." He turned out to the arena. "Now let's Fossil Battle!"

At point, on Diggins' side, stood a massive shuno with a light green and orange vivosaur on its starboard side. Almost ten meters long, the vivosaur was derived from a stegosaurus, meaning "Roof Lizard", was called a stego. On the shuno's port side stood a lightly built theropod, just over six meters long, blue and purple in color. Called a dilopho, derived from the dilophosaurus dinosaur, name meaning "Two-Ridged Lizard" for the two crests on its head, it was a water based vivosaur.

Releasing her own medals, Creed brought out Delta, Firma, and Acryl. Without a moment's thought, she climbed onto Acryl's back. Immediately she felt stronger, vision sharper, body lighter, skin tougher, thanks to Acryl's high rank support ability.

"What are you doing?" Diggins yelled across the field, curious.

"Acryl is my support vivosaur for this fight." Creed responded, resting her hands on multi-colored whithers. "It'll be easier to command him like this rather than vocally." A smirk. "And nothing in the rules says I can't."

Diggins chuckled and shook his head. "I won't hold back because you're in the middle of things." He forewarned.

"I'd be insulted if you did. Are we going to start the match?"

A sharp nod. "Shuno Crush! Wind Spines!"

"Delta Combo! Venator Combo!"

Spiked tail arched high as the roof-lizard's rows of plates flashed before firing greenish arrows of compressed air at Delta as the later rushed forward.

The sauropod reared up on its hindlegs—

—overbalanced and fell down heavily on its back as Delta rammed her clawed feet, hard, into exposed belly.

"Delta Blitz!" Steam engulfed the two vivosaurs as Creed glanced at Firma.

Intercepting the wind-based attack, the brown theropod weathered the attack like a heavy boulder amidst a typhoon. Green gusts struck and scattered upon impact with rock-hard hide, causing very little damage to Firma. Patiently, the stolid theropod weathered the attack. Loyally protecting Delta from the attack, he forced his way towards his target.

"Keep it up: Stego! Don't let it near you! Shuno: Shuno Combo!"

The sound of bone-on-bone. A yelp. Delta came flying out of the steam cloud, crashing heavily onto her back. The sand shook as the shuno meandered out of the dispersing steam cloud.

By this time, Firma had reached the stego.

Diggins glanced rapidly between his two vivosaurs, and then shouted, "Stego: Change target. Shuno: Get ready for another Shuno Crush!"

Claws grasped shoulder spines. Spiny tail whipped to the side. Creed's eyes widened and she dug her heels into Acryl's sides.

"Jump!"

Sand sprayed as Acryl shot straight up, the arrow-shaped wind gusts slamming into the ground underneath them.

"Dilopho Combo!"

A flash of motion.

"Rear!" Creed yelled.

Red-orange eyes locked onto the lunging double-crested lizard. The dilopho neared, fangs gleaming white and _sharp_.

And then, in a move worthy of Chicane, Acryl _twisted_ in mid-air, allowing the larger vivosaur to pass harmlessly by. Then he took it a step _further_ and opened his jaws wide. "Tro Toxin!"

A pressurized cloud of white gas shot out, engulfing the water vivosaur as Acryl twisted and landed nimbly in the sand. The dilopho had…a less graceful landing, all but belly-flopping into the sand in a sudden cloud of dust.

A resounding _crash_ made them start, but relax once they realized what it was.

The stego's medal flopped onto the sand, a massive dent and crack in the arena wall above it.

Turning, Firma lunged at the fallen dilopho.

"Now!" Diggin's yelled.

The shuno reared up. Time seemed to slow as Firma's head twisted to stare at the trunk-like limbs dropping on him.

_Ground stilled, all colors froze and dissolved into a solid background of resigned mauve and gray-blue. I'm sorry, Creed, I was too rash._

The attack struck.

Creed cringed and winced as Firma's head and chest were slammed into the ground and crushed under foot. She felt his defeat as Firma's medal was buried deep in the sand. Anger surged, but without Ferno in the battle she repressed it, only letting her eyes narrow.

"Fierce Combo."

The dilopho, only just beginning to regain its wits, had no chance as fangs and sickle-claws descended on it. With a quickly cut off howl, it reverted to its Dino Medal.

_Are you alright Delta?_

_Down welled still-water began to splash, up surged as pained grays and disoriented red-browns spiraled upward into annoyed reds accented with vengeful dark reds and jagged blacks. I am fine. Still weak, but still strong enough to wash it away._

_Good. _ "Delta Blitz!" _Acryl: move, now!_

Delta opened her maw and fired a highly pressurized torrent of water at the shuno's head. Acryl ran up her tail and leapt into the raging water, shooting upwards.

_Fierce Combo!_

Claws and talons sunk into the small head before Acryl pushed off, leaping higher into the air. The Delta Blitz ceased and the sauropod's head swayed. "Tro Toxin!"

The dazed sauropod was too confused _not_ to breathe in the poison cloud.

A wobble, and then the shuno fell like a felled tree, sending up great clouds of dust as its heavy body sunk into immobility.

"Delta Combo!"

The heron-like vivosaur descended upon the sauropod.

/\/\

"Congratulations, Creed!" Diggins praised, slapping the girl hard atop the shoulders. The teenager let her back bow to decrease the sting, but did not comment on it. "Beating me is no mean feat, if I may say so."

They reached the lobby desk. "I'm really impressed at how much progress you've made." A grin. "You've obviously been busting your hump digging and cleaning. It definitely shows! Again, great work, Creed! I'm extremely impressed."

Creed dipped her head, grinning. "I'm happy to impress."

Diggins laughed and held out Creed's new Fighter's License. "I hereby certify you, Creed, as a level-six Fighter."

Creed took it, eyes glinting.

"Just keep on digging, hear me? Dig, dig, and dig some more! Go get 'em, Creed!" Diggins turned towards the door. "Just one more step before you make Master Fighter, Creed. Good luck!" Waving, he walked away.

"Creed, you leveled up already!"

"You should expect it by now." Turning, Creed smiled down at Rosie.

Rosie shook her head with a rueful grin. "Somehow I'm not surprised. You're a natural at this, and you just keep getting better and better." An anxious look crossed her face. "I'm getting ready for my final battle, but the first two were already hard enough!" she looked up at the ceiling. "Level 6 has never seemed so far away!"

"Just don't worry about it, and remember all that you've learned. You'll do fine." Creed encouraged.

A nod, and then distant look flashed behind pink eyes. "But…I still can't get over Captain Bullwort being the BB Boss…" a slightly annoyed look appeared as Rosie looked back at Creed. "And those idols… I sooo want to know the story behind them…" she trailed off, and turned and began pacing back and forth in front of the desk.

Creed watched her silently, noticing the indecisive look now on her face.

Suddenly, the pinkette spun around and blurted, "One more thing, Creed. Would you meet me at the park tonight? I want to talk about something." Creed nodded. "So…I'll see you later, then? Okay…bye!"

Somewhat amused, Creed watched Rosie beat a quick escape through the arena door.

Shaking her head, the Fighter chuckled softly. _That girl…_

/\/\/\

**Next Time:**

"Creed!"

Pausing on her way to the docks, Creed turned.

"Hello Dr. Diggins." She greeted with a smile.

"There's a favor I'd like to ask of you."


	18. Chapter 6: Awoken from the Fires I

**Chapter 6  
Awoken from the Fires**

Creed strode silently up behind Rosie. The pinkette was staring out over the water at the small dock in the park. When she didn't immediately notice Creed, the other Fighter politely cleared her throat.

Rosie jumped and spun around. A smile broke across her face when she saw the elder teen. "Thanks for coming, Creed."

The red head nodded, and then looked at the girl curiously. "What did you need?"

The pinkette 'hemmed' and shifted from foot-to-foot, rubbing her arm nervously. "Um, well…the reason I asked you to meet me here, Creed, is because I wanted to properly thank you. Um…" blushing, Rosie coughed slightly and paced for a few moments before looking at Creed again.

"Thank you for coming to save me from the BB Bandits yesterday."

Creed tilted her head, intrigued at where Rosie was going with this.

"I was trying to sound tough, like I wasn't scared… But I was. I was more scared than I've ever been." Rosie looked up shyly, pink meeting aquamarine. "When you showed up, I was so relieved to see you, Creed, I just can't even say…" a pause, and then Rosie steeled herself. "But really, thank you. Thank you so much."

She turned and looked back out over the water. Silently, Creed moved to stand next to her and they both watched the moonlight reflecting off the water.

"It's funny when I think about it, Creed…" Rosie said wistfully. "You've helped me so many times now… You helped me get my Dino Medals back when they were taken. You worked hard to help me when I had that annoying spell cast on me. And just when I thought I was gonna be eaten by those denture sharks… You saved me, Creed."

Rosie stepped forward, gripping the railing. "With all the trouble I've caused you… You must really hate me by now, huh?"

Creed considered it a moment before responding. "I…suppose I did."

Pink eyes spun around, wide with hurt. "B-b-b-but…!" She turned away, sniffling. "I g-guess I don't blame you. All I've done is cause you t-trouble, Creed…" she started as arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"At first." Creed spoke softly, holding Rosie against her. "You were…very exuberant and rash, still are in fact." She rested her chin on the top of Rosie's protective hat. "It was annoying, being dragged all over the place, getting you out of trouble." A soft chuckle. "Back home, I avoided people like that… but, as time has progressed, I have to confess that I've grown fond of you."

Another chuckle. "Protective even, one might say. When I heard you were kidnapped, I was afraid."Rosie twisted her head around, staring wide-eyed up at Creed. "Afraid that you'd get hurt by stupid people. When Bullwort challenged me, my first thoughts were to get you out of danger."

Releasing her loose grip, Creed turned Rosie around, resting her hands on either of the girl's shoulders. Bowing her back to stand eyelevel to her, she looked Rosie in the eye.

"You…will probably never be a close friend to me." Creed admitted. "Not a best friend…but you have become like a little sister to me." A chuckle, "Someone to protect."

Rosie stared at her, eyes watery. She shivered, and then lunged.

Creed yelped softly, leaning back on the heels of her feet to avoid overbalancing as arms wrapped around her middle. Rosie buried her face in Creed's jacket.

"I'm going to make it up to you." Rosie promised, voice muffled. "If you ever need help, Creed, I'll be there for you. If you're in trouble, no matter what it is or what the circumstances are, I'll be at your side, Creed."

Creed blinked in surprise at the solemn declaration, then aquamarine softened. Rosie pulled away and faced the fencing again.

"I'm going to make it right…" Rosie perked up and turned away from the water. "Well, I'd better be going now. Grandpa will yell at me if I'm out too late." She walked away with a wave. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

/\/\

"BB Boss Revealed! Captain Bullwort!"

_Creed successfully rescued_

_Rosie Richmond, who had been_

_kidnapped by the BB Bandits._

_Most surprisingly, however, was that_

_the leader of the BB Bandits turned_

_out to be Captain Bullwort!_

_Who would have thought that the_

_BB Boss would be our very own_

_chief of police?_

_Should have known I'd end up in the paper again._ Creed thought with some exasperation upon reading the previous day's paper. _At least I'm only mentioned once._

_A flurry of laughing colors. If you don't want them writing about you, then perhaps you should quit performing outlandish feats._ Chicane teased.

"Quit?" Creed huffed. "Now where's the fun in that?"

The swift thief silently laughed.

/\/\

"Hey, you!"

Stepping out of the hotel door, Creed paused and turned at the voice.

"I heard you made Level 6. Congrats, I guess." A man with a sun hat spoke.

Creed's eyes narrowed marginally. _I don't think I'm going to like this encounter._

The man gave her an apologetic look she didn't really like at all. "Sorry if I don't seem happy for you, but it's just a bummer you'll never make Master Fighter, that's all."

A little boy at the man's side spoke up in a shrill tone. "Yeah, your career is about to run into a brick wall. A brick wall called…Saurhead."

Aquamarine narrowed to slits. _Saurhead? I've heard that name somewhere before._ Followed by the annoyed realization of: _Fanboys, greeeaaaat._

The man laughed. "Saurhead's the last Level Master, a mysterious masked Fighter who never ever loses, ever. _Ever_."

Creed scoffed. "Keep your hero worship to yourself, it's disgusting—"

A loud snarl roared out suddenly.

Tensing, Creed crouched slightly and twisted to see if there was a threat.

"Th-that voice…!" The boy whispered, eyes wide and tone a disbelieving awe.

"It is myself, Saurhead!" a large man walked up to them with a masked wrestling-style t-rex mask over his head. His eyes met Creed's—

The world faded out, leaving only she and Saurhead.

_This is—!_

A familiar pulse coursed through her. Pressure weighed down on her and the sound of her pumping blood and beating heart deafened her. The inside of her chest felt tight, compressed, heavy, pulsing like with the thump of a taunt drum.

Saurhead's shoulders stiffened, ever so slightly, and another pulse, even greater in magnitude, followed.

Creed's body wanted to shiver, to buckle under the pressure, but she refused to submit. Straightening her back, spine rigid and eyes narrow, Creed somehow managed to return with a pulse of her own.

Green mask tilted up, ever so slightly, and the pressure and the pulse faded to more tolerable levels. The world came back into focus.

Saurhead rumbled thoughtfully, eyeing Creed with barely recognizable curiosity.

"You…" the masked man hummed, "might just be a worthy opponent after all…"

Creed felt the two fans succumb to slack jawed shock, but otherwise tuned them out. Now she remembered where she had heard of him before, when she had been talking to Dr. Diggins.

"You…you're the one with the T-Rex."

A nod. "That's right." Green mask tilted slightly. "So…you're the other one…" A deep rumbling chuckle. "I look forward to our match, don't disappoint." He walked past Creed towards the hotel doors. As he did so, he clapped a massive hand upon Creed's shoulder, making her knees buckle and bend slightly under the force.

_I shall look forward to it as well._ Creed smirked, eyes shadowed.

Turning, she made for the docks, leaving two slack jawed fans frozen in her wake.

/\/\

"Creed!"

Pausing on her way to the docks, Creed turned.

"Hello Dr. Diggins." She greeted with a smile.

"There's a favor I'd like to ask of you." The scientist stated as he came up to Creed. "I've been examining the markings on those three tacky idols, and it looks like there should be one more. So, while you're out looking for fossils, would you also keep an eye out for one more idol?"

Creed nodded. "I see no harm in that."

A grin. "Since you've found three of them already, I figure if there's anyone I can count on, it's you!" a laugh. "Thank you." He held out a darkly tanned hand. "Okay, let me see your sonar system. I'm going to install a chip that will make it detect idols."

Slipping it out of her sleeve, Creed handed it over. She watched in fascination as the scientist effortlessly equipped it.

"There you go. Now your sonar will detect idols too."

"Do you have more of those?" she asked curiously, examining her sonar as it was handed back.

A nod. "Yeah," a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head. "I kind of went overboard and made a dozen or so last night. Too much coffee I think."

"What did you do with them?"

"Oh, I'll take them apart at some point, but for now they're in my desk." A wry chuckle. "It's full of stuff I haven't dealt with yet, but they should be right on the top since they're the most recent." A blink, and the scientist shook his head. "There I go again. Anyway," he looked at Creed, "Now that you're Level 6, you should be digging out at Mt. Lavaflow." A grin. "There are some good fossils out there, and with your last Level-Up Battle coming up, you'll need them."

Creed nodded. "I haven't been there yet. Just didn't have time yesterday, and the day before that…well, you know."

A sympathetic nod. "So how did your training go yesterday?"

"Very well, though I am a little disturbed at how Ferno can go into a blind rage at will."

A shrug. "Most fire vivosaurs are like that." Another grin. "Anyway, I know you can make Master Fighter!" a pause. "And you can also find the remaining idol!"

With a wave, the cyan haired man turned and made for the center.

Beth looked up as Creed approached, a worried look on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Creed queried.

"I just received word from the Police Station that the BB Bandits have escaped from jail." Creed's spine stiffened, eyes widening ever so slightly. "So please be careful out there." A pause. "Where were you planning to visit this time?"

"Mt. Lavaflow."

A nod. "There are a lot of earthquakes there, so be cautious."

Creed returned the nod. "I will. Thank you for telling me…about both dangers."

/\/\

_Hot…_

Glancing around, Creed took in the dark rocks and cliffs making up the valley she had walked into. Beyond it, she could make out the glow of lava.

_Well…that explains the name._

Amused, and energized by the heat, Creed started in, finding a new fossil and a Jewel Rock, which she cleaned right away.

_Fiery sparks grew into warm embers. Eager oranges and vigorous reds blended together into a large landscape. It's nice here. _Ferno sent, his medal actually warming in Creed's sleeve.

Creed paused in her gem cleaning. _You've been quite a while, I was beginning to wonder if you'd speak up again. _She got the impression of shrugging shoulders.

_Flames danced and licked hopeful yellow-orange splashes. I was tired, being here makes me feel strong. Can I come out?_

_Not now, but soon_. Creed responded. Ferno gave off the impression of huffing with impatient annoyance before withdrawing from the link, medal still warm.

Gem clean, a nice pair of sapphires, Creed slipped them into the draw-string bag she kept her unsold gems and continued on her way. She did not make it too far.

_This…is a problem._ Eyeing the giant boulder blocking her path, Creed weighed the option of using Mistral to bypass the obstruction.

Hard dirt crunched behind her.

"Is there something wrong?"

_White and gold…Duna?_ Creed blinked as the aristocratic young woman walked up. After a moment's hesitation, she gestured to the giant volcanic boulder.

Duna did a take. "Goodness," slanted eyes blinked. "That's a very large boulder." She glanced between Creed and the offending boulder. "And it's blocking your way, I see. I can help with that. Stand back."

Another blink, and Creed obeyed, curious as to what the other would do.

_Is that a _gun_—?_

A bright flash, a high pitch shriek, the sound of shattering stone.

Blinking stars out of her eyes, Creed stared in stunned disbelief at the sudden _lack_ of impeding boulder.

"Okay." Holstering the oddly high-tech looking firearm, Duna turned to Creed. "You may proceed. Good-bye." And then she walked away, just like that.

_That was…different._ Creed blinked. _What a strange girl…_

Shrugging, she continued forward, trekking the winding path through the valley, picking up some new Fossil Rocks as she did so. At one point she passed another giant boulder, but, as there was still a path available, she chose to ignore it for the time being. Eventually she came to a dark cave mouth. Standing just outside it, the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She frowned.

_Something's…wrong…_

Glancing over her shoulder, but seeing no one, she entered the cave. It was marginally cooler inside, not that the heat had bothered Creed much.

She meandered through the cave, though only located a couple fossils before coming to another giant boulder. Seeing no reason to remain, Creed was about to leave when she spotted something odd on her sonar. A little red dot signifying the location of the fourth idol.

Frowning, Creed crossed her arms across her chest. _This is annoying…how do I get by? Perhaps Firma…no, that would be cruel, this is not an environment for him. Maybe I should have Ferno use S-Fury?_

Rock crunched. "Is there a problem?" Creed glanced back at Duna. The latter had raised eyebrows. "You are troubled by a large rock again?" A wry look. "Perhaps in the future you should not travel in places with so many giant rocks." She suggested.

Creed chuckled. "I'll try and keep that in mind."

Duna sighed. "But I will destroy it for you, nevertheless."

Stepping back, Creed watched Duna pull out her ray gun, the only thing Creed thought seemed to fit the bizarre weapon.

A bright flash, a second high pitch shriek, and the ear splitting roar of shattering stone.

_Mayhaps I should have covered my ears._ Creed shook her head, massaging her inner ears with her fingers. _Should have known, being inside an _echoing cave,_ that it'd be loud._

"Now you may pass." Duna gestured to the cleared path.

"Thanks for the help." Creed passing her. _Though, why would you do so? And where by Hoinigen's name did you get that kind of technology? Something doesn't feel right about this…_

Nonetheless, she passed through the cleared space to a fair sized peninsula within a larger cavern. Still suspicious, she went after a Fossil Rock located on the peninsula before the idol. Watching Duna from the corner of her eye, she noticed how the other was following her every move with an almost reptilian-like gaze.

Creed fiddled with the medals of her chosen vivosaur team, making sure they were ready to be released on split-second notice. _I get the feeling this is going to get very messy…_

Stiff-backed, Creed drove her pickaxe into the ground. After a couple blows, she unearthed a small clay-like spike. Kneeling down, she gripped the hot earth and pulled out the figurine.

It was smaller than the others, with yellow accents and a spiky Mohawk not unlike Aero's spinal crest.

"Excellent." Duna stepped forward. Creed glanced up at her. "Well done. I will take the idol now, thank you."

Without breaking her gaze on the young woman, Creed opened her case and let it suck the statuette inside. Duna frowned.

"Please hand it over." She held out an expectant hand.

"Not likely." Creed scuttled back, rising up into a defensive crouch.

Duna's frown deepened. "Hand it over." Creed didn't move. Duna hissed. "NOW!" she took an aggressive step forward, Creed braced to lunge.

A flash froze them both.

A flickering light swirled around Duna like a whirlwind. It reminded Creed of a wavy dot painting, predominately white with flickers of all sorts of colors on the outer edge of the twister. Light flashed brighter, and Duna's appearance shattered like glass.

Leathery tail swished back and forth.

_Oh Huene, this is _not_ good!_ Creed thought eyes wide.

"This is not good." Duna muttered, unknowingly echoing Creed's own thoughts. "The heat from the lava has disrupted my holographic transformation technology…" She turned reptilian gold eyes to Creed. "Regrettably, I cannot allow humans that have seen my true form to escape…" a clawed hand reached up to the pendant around Duna's neck.

More light flashed as Duna lunged.

Creed leapt back, flipping out her Dino Medals. Powerful, toothy jaws snapped shut where she had just been.

_Holy—! She just turned into a _vivosaur_!_


	19. Chapter 6: Awoken from the Fires II

**Awoken from the Fires II**

Creed clung tightly to Acryl's back, eyes wide. _Oh you can_not_ be serious._

Aero and Ferno stood protectively in front of her, growling loudly at their opponents.

Metal gleamed and blood-red claws shown as two eleven meter mechanical zinos stood completely still like a pair of shiny gargoyles. Between the pair stood Duna who could no longer be even remotely described as humanoid.

Just over three meters long, predominately light and dark blue with accents of hot pink, she resembled Delta in build. Light and fast.

Duna hissed loudly.

Creed felt a distant trace of hot colors, flowing like water, with an impression of the words 'attack'.

The dinomatons, the term seemed to come automatically, lumbered forward. With speed and accuracy far greater than the zino vivosaur they resembled. They lashed out with their fearsome saber-like claws.

"Watch out for the claws!" The vivosaurs shot her twin looks of '_no duh!_'.

A blur of pastel colors.

"Acryl: move!" The wounding tooth vivosaur leapt back, just narrowly avoiding snapping jaws.

Duna growled, spitting out volcanic rock and moving to pursue them.

_You'll have to fight on your own!_ Creed sent to her other two vivosaurs. Understanding wisps of acknowledgement came from them both. She could hear them clashing with the mechanical vivosaurs, but was unable to pay any more attention.

Duna lunged again, fangs bared.

"Fierce Claw!" _Counter those teeth!_

Acryl's claw shot up, colliding with the hard bone of Duna's lower jaw. The other's head snapped to the side from the force of the blow.

"Fierce Combo!"

Clawed feet connected with exposed chest. Duna went sliding across the dirt.

"Again!"

Acryl lunged, talons bared.

A faint wisp of anticipatory orange tickled the edge of Creed's awareness. _ Look out! Trap!_

Legs dug in, fangs flashed. Narrow jaws sank into dirt yet again. Duna made to lunge again, but stumbled as a roar and a deafening blast shook the entire cavern. Great boulders and stalactites were dislodged from the ceiling, forcing the three fighters to dart away to avoid being crushed.

_That might work._ Creed thought, seeing multiple stalactites fall into the lava and stick out like stepping stones. With a sharp nudge of her toes, Acryl leapt from the peninsula to one of the small stalactite islands. Duna followed.

Leap, grip, glance, evade, and repeat.

Leap, grip, glance, evade, re—_uh-oh_.

Trapped at the edge of the island clusters, Acryl had nowhere to leap to next. Duna lunged at them again with a victorious hiss.

"Fierce Combo!" Creed hissed into the wounding tooth's ear.

Muscles coiled and sprang.

Talons and fangs flew as the two collided mid-air, scratching and clawing at each other. A split second after that, the two separated, landing on separate stalactites, Duna narrowly making it, needing to use her fore claws to dig in in order to maintain her balance.

Turning, the humanoid-turned-vivosaur made to lunge again when the sound of shrieking metal caught their attention.

Aero and Ferno barreled into the cave, pushing the two dinomatons in front of them. With powerful heaves, the sent both machines toppling into the lava. The resulting wave rose like a small tidal wave, high enough to engulf the stalactite stepping stones.

Both fighters sprang from their perches, making for the stability of the peninsula. However, even mid-air, Duna would not be deterred. With a snarl, she opened her mouth.

"Tro Toxin!" Creed hissed abruptly. Acryl twisted around, spitting out the cloud of poisonous white which clashed with a blue torrent of water.

The two attacks met evenly.

Pastel flashed.

_Oh shoo—_

Duna's clawed feet collided with Acryl's underside, abruptly cutting off the attack and sending the pair crashing into the ground.

_Ouch…_ Blinking back stars, Creed realized she had been thrown from Acryl's back and that Duna—

Hands shot up, intercepting lethal jaws aiming for her vulnerable throat. Twisting onto her back, Creed strained against Duna's strength, narrowly keeping her at bay. A claw flashed, and Creed grimaced as it cut into her forearm. Her limbs buckled at the elbow, beginning to give—

Powerful jaws clamped down over Duna, tearing the now screeching vivosaur off of Creed.

Aero reared back and flung his head to the side, releasing his captive. A resounding crash followed as Duna crashed into the rock wall above the exit to the cavern. Her form shattered a second time, reverting back to the hybrid, mostly humanoid, form. Limply, Duna fell to the rocky floor.

She lay still for a long moment before shakily returning to her feet. "This…this is unacceptable!"

Creed felt wisps of angry reds and self-disgusted violets.

Duna made as if to charge again when the entire cave shook again, knocking them all off balance. The ceiling above cracked and collapsed, directly above Duna. The vivosaur girl gasped, but was unable to escape being buried under the avalanche of rubble.

Creed stood, frozen in shock, for several heartbeats before she moved.

Descending onto the pile of rubble, she frantically dug at the rocks. "Help me get her out!" She didn't need the mental link to translate the following squawks as '_what are you, crazy?_'. "Just do it!"

Confused at her actions, her vivosaurs reluctantly did so, using their large claws to dig out massive scoops of gravel.

A glimmer of pink hair. The tip of a pointed ear. Creed reached into the hole and grabbed Duna's shoulders. With a mighty heave, she dragged her out.

"Wh-why…" the girl coughed. Aero and Ferno returned to their medals, but Chicane chose to let himself out and stand protectively behind Creed. "…why would you…?" Shakily, Duna sat up. "After I tried to take the idol from you by force…?"

"I cannot take a life if it can be avoided." Creed said firmly, face severe.

Duna's ear twitched and her brows furrowed, confused. "You are so confusing…" pink hair shook as she shook her head. "I do not understand mammals at all…"

The ground trembled again with an aftershock of the initial quake. Creed looked up at the ceiling warily until the quaking ceased. But when she glanced back at Duna, it was only to find bare earth where she had just been.

_A whisper of wind through muted colors. She took off when you looked away…quite spry for someone just buried alive._ Chicane informed, his signature mental colors carefully neutral.

"Where could she—"

"Creed!"

Head jerking up, Creed saw Rosie standing atop the pile of rocks, looking down at her, looking quite relieved. "I'm so glad you're safe. That was quite the earthquake!"

"Yeah, it was." Creed nodded, putting Duna out of her mind for the time being.

"Did you get the tacky idol?"

A nod. "It's in my case."

"Great! We should get it back to Grandpa as soon as possible!" Pink hair, so much like Duna's, vanished as Rosie slid back down the other side of the rocks.

Hesitating a moment longer, Creed followed her.

It took them almost two hours to figure out that, for some reason, the boat was not coming to pickup and drop off Fighters.

/\/\

With a trill, Mistral landed lightly on the town dock. Creed and Rosie slid from her back and the feathered serpent returned to her medal.

_Where is everyone?_ Creed blinked at the empty streets as she and Rosie dismounted Mistral.

"Creed! Rosie! We've got big trouble!"

_That doesn't sound good…_ Creed and Rosie hurried over to Beth.

"Vivosaur Town has been taken over by the BB Bandits!"

A moment stunned paralysis, then—

_Okay, that _really_ isn't good._

"The BB Boss is using the Richmond Building as his command center."

Panic flashed across Rosie's face. "What?" She shrieked, "Grandpa?" Wide eyed, she spun to Creed. "Creed! Let's hurry to Grandpa's office!"

"The BB Bandit's boss is trying to capture all the fossils on Vivosaur Island!" Beth informed, pale as a sheet. "You've got to do something about him, Creed!"

_Why me? Why don't you get Saurhead to help?_ Not that Creed had any intention of letting Bullwort get away. But, really, why did everyone turn to _her_?

"Acryl, Chicane!"

Creed slid onto Acryl's back as, at a consenting nod, Rosie mounted Chicane. A quick nudge to the ribs, and they shot off towards the Guild Area. A pair of BB guards blocked their path. Upon seeing them advance, gloved hands quickly started for Dino Medals.

_I don't think so. Use your combos, sheathe your claws!_

Fur and multi-colored-hide blurred. Two bodies slammed into the ground with suspicious _cracks_. Rosie winced but said nothing as Creed quickly directed her vivosaurs into the back alley ways of the Guild Area. No reason to take risks when there were likely numerous bandits guarding the place.

"If we sneak in from the West side," Creed said softly as they slunk through the shadows, "we might be able to get in unnoticed."

Rosie nodded but, thankfully said nothing.

They rounded the far side of the Richmond Building—

_Oooh shiii—_"oot!" Creed hissed. Chicane and Acryl skidded to an abrupt stop.

"You! Creed!" Bartholomew Bullwort hissed with narrowed eyes. A slow smirk worked its way over his face. "I must admit, I'm impressed that you beat me before." Smirk morphed into a sneer. "But you won't be so lucky again. My defeat was bitter, but I'm going to enjoy forcing that bitterness down your throat tenfold!"

Creed's eyes narrowed.

"And how, you ask?" Bullwort continued. "With Frigisaurus!" he held up an oddly gray medal, rolling it through his fingers.

Cold sweat broke out as a numbing chill lanced through Creed's spine. _ This is bad, this is _very_ bad._ A foreboding sense of danger caused fight-or-flight reflexes to strain against common sense.

"Even _I_ was surprised to find out just how powerful this legendary beast is. It's not merely more powerful than everything else—it's in a different league entirely!"An insane gleam appeared in cruel eyes. "With this vivosaur at my command, world domination is easily within reach!"

Despite herself, Creed twitched. _How…cliché,_ she thought despite the severity of the situation.

"Compared to what I'll achieve, mere wealth is nothing! I have no use for those petty idols anymore!"

An eyeroll. _Oh, _what_ a _relief.

A maniacal cackle. "With Frigisaurus—the ultimate vivosaur—in my control, I'll wipe out everyone who dares oppose me!"

Suddenly, he stopped, eyes glinting maliciously. "Enough talk! I'll simply demonstrate my new power!"

Acryl leapt forward, Creed released her vivosaurs as Bullwort tossed the gray medal. Time seemed to slow.

_Chicane: Take Rosie and go! Now!_

Wisps of fearful green and reluctant blues and violets came from Chicane, but the swift thief obeyed.

"Creed!" Rosie screamed.

_Silly girl,_ Creed thought as Chicane vanished from sight, _I never intended to let you fight—_

The world bled white.

_A blizzard?_

High above her, over the suddenly raging winds, Creed could hear Bullwort howling with laughter.

A massive shadow loomed high above, a dark silhouette in the midst of whirling sleet and snow.

_Big…_

Bigger than any vivosaur she had ever seen, by at least three times! High, high above, atop a monstrous, arching neck, two half-lidded red eyes glowed ominously through the obscuring storm. A low, almost melodic moan resonated through the air, sending painful vibrations through walls, the ground, and right through Creed's bones.

_Like a kick to the chest._ Creed cringed sluggishly, feeling her body growing numb and heavy due to the heat stealing wind and ice.

_We won't last long in this… Ferno! Delta! Strike hard and fast, hit it from the sides!_

The two theropods, standing protectively in front of Creed and Acryl, tried to obey and would have—

—if not for the ice freezing their legs to the ground.

_When did-?_

_Dim embers flickered amidst slowly graying colors, brief sparks flared up in rebellious flashes of red-orange. _

_Gray ice formed over the edges of frustrated pale-reds, alert colors slowly sliding into a spiral of growing grays._

Creed could see ice spreading over her vivosaur's frames, could feel it spreading over she and Acryl as well. The icy chill stole her sense of feeling in her legs faster than she thought possible. An idea sparked.

_Ferno: Burn!_

_Dying cinders suddenly surged up, grays dispersed in a flurry of determined dark red._

Snow melted and ice shattered with a flex of corded muscles. Ferno practically glowed as heat radiated from his frame. But despite this, it didn't stop the blizzard cruel kiss. The very wind seemed set on stealing whatever heat they could produce. Sleet and snow continued to pelt them mercilessly and Creed felt more ice starting to form.

_Attack, quick! _She refused to succumb to the rising dread growing in the pit of her stomach.

Settled snow exploded as Delta and Ferno fought to obey.

"Sub-zero stomp!"

The silhouette reared up like an executioner's axe.

_A background of terrified dark greens were shattered by a lightning storm of jagged red panicked realization. We have to escape!_

Acryl leapt back, trying to flee as the column-like legs dropped—

_Ouch…_ Creed thought numbly as she was flung from Acryl's back.

Acryl's Dino Medal flew past her, frozen solid.

_I…_

The shockwave passed through her, ice rapidly creeping up her body.

_I lost…_

And then the world broke into static.

/\/\

_Cold_…

Frozen, numb, but too weak to even tremble.

_Gray…everything's…gray._

Vague silhouettes seemed to dance in and out of fuzzy focus. It was almost impossible to tell what was real and what was a hallucination.

_A…table?_ A slow blink. _No…a cot?_

_A jail cell?_ She wasn't sure where that thought came from, but it did make some sense. Bullwort had been the police chief—

—Bullwort. Frigisaurus. The _ice._

_I lost…_

A feeling of great pressure clenched the inside of her chest. She couldn't breathe.

_I…couldn't beat…him…_

Grays waved and blended together before dissolving into static once more.

/\/\

A low whine sounded.

_That…wasn't me…was it?_

The grays returned, tuning out the flickering static. Shadows flickered and everything momentarily darkened as Creed distantly felt something get draped over her. Though vaguely curious, Creed couldn't so much as _feel_ her body, let alone get her limbs to respond. She wasn't even sure whether her arms and legs were still there or not. The sensation of complete physical detachment was…rather disconcerting.

Another whine, and then the all the shadows and grays began to shake, as if in an earthquake.

_No, not an earthquake,_ Creed realized. _Something's…shaking me?_ A pause as a dull pins-and-needles sensation finally revealed that Creed's limbs _were_ still attached. _No, not shaking, rubbing._

It was focused mainly around her upper arms and shoulders, and was sending painful throbs through Creed's frozen form. But, slowly, her head cleared slightly as she regained a loose connection with her body.

A slow blink. Was that some color? Yes, still faint traces of blue wove into some of the shifting grays.

A low whimper, something nudged Creed's shoulder.

Another blink. A blur of white, dark gray, wrapped in blue—

"…Rex?" A low, almost inaudible rasp.

A wet nose nudged her cheek and Rex gave a soft bark.

The pins-and-needles faded, mostly, and a little more of the fog lifted from her mind. Slowly, forcing her stone-stiff body to move, she rolled onto her stomach.

_Brace with arms. Push _up_. Curl legs underneath…_there_._

Doubled over her knees, Creed panted wearily.

A flicker of movement, something long and thin slid to the ground. A ragged blanket.

"…What's…" she couldn't muster up any more words.

Rex whined softly, his gloved paw gripping Creed's limp wrist. Gently, but urgently, he coaxed her to her feet—

—the world swam.

_Soft…warm…_

The vertigo faded and Creed forced herself from her draped position over Rex. For his credit, the canine was very patient, and didn't seem to mind that the taller Fighter had fallen over him. Then, gently, he coaxed her forward, maintaining a firm grip on her wrist.

Creed followed unresistingly, everything fading out of focus as all her present focus went to simply keeping her legs moving. Because of that, she didn't know where Rex was taking her, but she was to worn to worry about it. It was somewhat surprising that her body was moving at all.

Distant voices, speaking but making no sense. More traces of washed out colors moved in front of her. A sudden blur of white.

_A sharp gust of wind, starbursts of overjoyed, and blinding, yellows. Creed!"_

Creed staggered violently as the world whirled again, falling forward—

Gentle claws caught her as her face was buried in soft white fur. Chicane chirred contritely, guiding Creed to the floor as he wrapped protectively around her.

"_Get her a blanket! We have to get her warmed up!"_

"_Why's she gray? People aren't supposed to be gray!"_

"_You're little friend should count herself lucky she didn't just get stomped flat by that monster."_

"_Lucky? You call _that_ lucky?" _

Creed's eyes slid shut, and everything grew numb again.

**/\/\/\**

**Next Time**:

Creed froze, eyes wide. A painful pulse sounded in her chest as a burning pressure suddenly engulfed her.

_Wha-what?_

The world faded out and she suddenly stood in a black abyss.

_What's going on?_ Creed glanced around, but saw nothing.

The heat increased sharply. Fire exploded in front of her, but she couldn't _move_.

_A volcano's temper, spewing ash and fire into the air, engulfing everything around._

Dancing flames melded together into a monstrous silhouette of a giant beast. Fierce eyes stared down at her through the blaze and the fire-beast, Ignosaurus, reared up and roared.


	20. Chapter 6: Awoken from the Fires III

**Awoken from the Fires III**

_I'm warm…_ Creed realized. Glassy eyes blinked. _And sore…and…wrapped in a blanket?_

Shifting slightly, Creed gave a start as a soft breeze of warm air ruffled her hair.

_Warm currents danced through joyful, though carefully muted, bursts of yellows and greens. Creed! Wisps of questioning pale-orange. Are you feeling better?_

Chicane's scaly muzzle nuzzled the crook of his Fighter's neck. Creed shivered slightly as warm breath tickled her skin, but cuddled closer to the swift thief's surprisingly warm body.

_Better._ Creed admitted. _What happened?_

_Warm currents sank into cold ones. Joyful colors dimmed with pained remembrance. The BB, Rex, brought you back._ A slight tremor through the furred frame. _Cold gusts spluttered amidst echoed fearful greens. You were, so cold and gray, like death._ Another shudder followed by a low keen.

Untangling one limb from the restrictive, yet cozy, blanket, Creed ran still pale fingers through white fur.

_It's alright._ She soothed._ I'm fine now._

_A skeptical scuff of wind through doubtful greens. You are still too pale, and you can hardly move._

_That will pass…don't worry._

"Well,"

_Rosie?_ Aquamarine looked away from furred chest to watch.

"I learned that there's a dinosaur called Ignosaurus…" a frustrated groan. "and that the Ignosaurus fossil is buried somewhere deep in Mt. Lavaflow."

"Deep in Mt. Lavaflow, huh?" Diggins hummed. "That lava could pose all sorts of problems in finding the fossil…" The scientist shifted, a glimmer of irritation in his posture. "It may be impossible to dig through or detect with sonar. The lava flow may even just block the way."

"But if you could move the lava out of the way, you could look for the fossil freely."

_Vivian? Snivels and Rex too…_ A soft hum. _Wonder what they're doing here._

"Move the lava?" Intrigued cyan eyes studied the BB trio. "How?"

An excited bark.

"He says that there's a lava-flow valve inside Mt. Lavaflow." Snivels translated.

"A lava-flow valve?" Richmond repeated. "Like a water faucet for lava?"

A crisp salute and an affirmative bark.

"He says that's right." Another bark and Rex ran out the door. "He says he'll go ahead to Lavaflow and start looking. You can join him there when you're ready."

Diggins hummed thoughtfully, folding his arms. "Well, we know the Ignosaurus fossil is somewhere inside Mt. Lavaflow," a momentary pause, "and this may help us find it."

"I'll go look for it."

Everyone started and spun around. Creed watched them, vaguely amused, as she leaned against Chicane for support. At their looks she gave a lazy wave.

"Creed! You're awake!" Rosie yelled starting to run over, but stopped abruptly at a warning growl from Chicane.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Diggins disagreed, looking concerned. "You're hardly recovered from being frozen, you need to rest."

A nonchalant shrug. "I can't see color, my body is still numb, and command over my limbs is tentative at best…" she confessed. A determined look. "Which is exactly why I should go." Confused blinks answered her and she shrugged again. "The heat will do me good."

"I don't know…"

"I don't need your permission." Creed pointed out flatly. "I'm going whether you want me to or not." A pause as another thought occurred to her. "What happened to my vivosaurs? The ones I used to try and fight Frigi?"

The uneasy glances exchanged were not reassuring.

"Well?"

"They…were frozen." Diggins said at last. "Rex got them back, but we haven't managed to get the ice off."

As proof, he held out three frozen medals. Creed stiffened.

_I can't feel them…_ she thought, worried. Chicane nosed her comfortingly.

_A gentle caress of warm air splashed with soothing yellow-green. They are sleeping, they will be fine once re-revived._ The raptor assured her.

"That's all the more reason for me to go." Creed took the frozen medals. "The lava will help defrost them." She slid them into her sleeve.

Diggins sighed. "Alright, as it seems I can't stop you, here," he handed her an earpiece about the size of a Bluetooth. "It's a dogish translator I made, it should help you understand Rex."

Creed nodded, accepting the small device and slipping it onto her ear.

"Oh, here." Rosie walked over, handing Creed a medal. She looked rather sheepish. "I, uh, burrowed your coatlus to get to Knotwood Forest. The boat isn't taking passengers right now."

_Are you alright?_ Creed queried, taking the medal.

_Wind whispered through relieved pale blue-greens. You are safe. An amused flurry of yellows. I am fine; I did not mind helping the little rose._

Creed looked up again. "I'll see you when I get back."

/\/\

"I have scouted the immediate environs."

Slowly, Creed blinked at the English accented voice that came through the translator, tuning out the barks. Returning Mistral to her medal, she noted how the pinkish canine looked both agitated and excited at the same time.

"The lava-flow valve most vexingly refuses to be located." A hop and a bound away and Rex motioned further down the path. "Let us continue the search farther afield."

A nod. "I'll follow you, then."

The BB canine gave an affirmative bark, which had no translation, and darted ahead in a zigzag fashion. Creed trailed behind at a slower pace.

As she had suspected, the heat resonating from the lava did her a lot of good. More feeling returned, as did some energy, and the color returned to her vision. Even better was that her frozen Dino Medals were beginning to defrost and she could detect her vivosaurs gradually beginning to stir.

_That's odd, wasn't there a boulder there before?_ Creed wondered as Rex darted down an unfamiliar path, sniffing vigorously. _But then, Beth did mention something about regular seismic activity…it probably got knocked off the path._

They came to a dark cave, similar to the one where Creed had fought Duna.

Rex perked up, short muzzle lifted high. "Hello, what's this?" he sniffed. "I'm picking up a scent!" A gloved paws punched the air. "Tallyho! Let's go farther!" A pause, and the canine looked up at Creed. "I think that valve is around here somewhere, the tricky devil."

"Let's follow your nose then."

Unfortunately, they didn't get too far before an obstacle barred their path.

_That's a rather elaborate door…_ Creed eyed the carved patterns and indentations. _That's the Digadig pattern…_

Frowning, Rex took a closer look. "I say!" Looking intrigued, and glanced back up at Creed. "There's something written here, albeit hard to understand…" Squinting, he leaned almost nose-to-stone. "Offer…powerful mountain rocks…to me." Rex spun around, eyes wide. "By Jove! Could this be a clue to open the door?"

"Well _that_ makes sense." Creed snorted sarcastically. "Does it make any sense to you?"

A nod. "If we carve rocks in the shapes of Digadigs, they should fit the door!"

Creed glanced at the door and nodded thoughtfully. "That seems possible… Do you want to do it, or should I?"

Rex took a large stepped back and gestured to Creed. The Fighter sighed, found a fair sized lava rock and set to work with her miniature drill and hammer. The end result was crude, but was good enough to slide easily into the indent in the center of the door.

Dust was disturbed and the grinding of rocks sounded as the door slid aside.

Moments later they came to another door. The indent was shaped not unlike one of the deities Creed had seen in Egyptian mythology. A human with a reptilian head, though the tail was a deviation.

Rex barked thoughtfully. "Shall we try fitting a carved rock?"

Creed nodded. A few minutes later they were on their way again.

And again they were blocked by a door.

_Looks like Godzilla using his breath attack. _Creed observed, eyeing the indentation.

"Shall we try fitting a carved rock?"

The question was moot as Creed was already locating another suitable lava rock. This one was, actually, the simplest carving out of the three and they were soon entering the cavern beyond.

_That's a lot of rocks._

Eventually, after some time of looking, they found the valve behind a ring of rocks.

"Tighten the valve!" Rex commanded, gripping one part of the wheel with both paws.

Nodding, Creed grabbed it and together the two of them managed to turn the partially rusted valve in a full circle. Earth trembled, the entire cavern shook as an earthquake erupted. The two Fighters couldn't do much more than brace against the valve and wait for it to stop. Fortunately, it did not take too long.

"That should have shut down the lava flow." Rex stated, wobbling slightly as he stepped away from the valve. "Let's have a peek!"

/\/\

Wide eyed, Creed stared at the hilly volcanic earth that stretched through the valley. The telltale glow of lava was notably absent.

_Hoinigen…it _actually_ drained the lava. Well…_ Aquamarine eyed the small puddles that still remained. _Most of it, anyway._

Glancing around, Rex picked a direction and took off, dragging Creed along behind him, much to her chagrin. They came to a cave, one that had been unreachable before. Glancing at each other, they went in.

Creed froze, eyes wide. A painful pulse sounded in her chest as a burning pressure suddenly engulfed her.

_Wha-what?_

The world faded out and she suddenly stood in a black abyss.

_What's going on?_ Creed glanced around, but saw nothing.

The heat increased sharply. Fire exploded in front of her, but she couldn't _move_.

_A volcano's temper, spewing ash and fire into the air, engulfing everything around._

Dancing flames melded together into a monstrous silhouette of a giant beast. Fierce eyes stared down at her through the blaze and the fire-beast, Ignosaurus, reared up and roared.

Creed's arms rose up in defense as burning arcs shot out, banishing the shadows.

"Do you feel that?" The world snapped back into focus. "It's tremendous fire energy!"

_No kidding. _Creed thought, thoroughly rattled.

"Use your sonar to look for the Ignosaurus fossil rock!"

Snapping out of her stupor, Creed moved to obey.

_That was…that was unbelievable. So much _power_. That wasn't a vivosaur, it was a force of nature!_

The sonar pinged, Rex and Creed quickly dug up the dirt.

_It's _huge_, _Creed realized,_ bigger than even Glyph's skull fossil!_

Bigger than Chicane, it was covered in a fire-heated coating of fossilized amber that let a silhouette of the skull fossil within be visible.

_I hope my case can hold it—_

Creed's body just reacted, tackling Rex to the ground. A white beam suddenly encased the fossil, turning the to coating a metallic bronze.

Cruel laughter. Creed froze, eyes wide in recognition.

"My Imperva-Ray has made that Ignosaurus fossil rock completely impenetrable!" Bullwort cackled from the mouth of the cave.

Flanked by two BB's the BB Boss haughtily sauntered up as Rex and Creed scrambled to their feet.

"No drill or hammer in the world will be able to so much as _scratch_ that fossil rock now!" the former police captain sneered. "That should pretty much dash your hopes of reviving the Ignosaurus, hmm?" A malicious grin. "And with that, I am officially invincible! There is nothing that can defeat my Frigisaurus!"

The gray medal danced between his fingers, and Creed stiffened.

Icy pressure froze her in place.

_Frozen winds howled, vicious teeth bit at living flesh; a solid background of powerful dark reds, freezing cold to the feel despite being a hot color. A frozen wasteland, a gaping hunger that was never satisfied._

_No._ Creed breathed with horrific realization. _Oh, Huene…_

A blink. Bullwort was gone, and so was Frigi's aura.

"Blast!" Rex snarled. "That tricky blighter must have completed the Imperva-ray!" Head flung back, Rex let out an anguished howl. Wide eyes landed on Creed. "We'd best warn the others. Let's return to the Fossil Center."

/\/\

"Creed? Did you find the Ignosaurus fossil?" Rosie asked as the duo entered the warehouse.

Pulling the dogish translator out of her ear, Creed nodded. Slipping her case out of her sleeve, she opened it and showed the stored Fossil Rock to Rosie.

"Yes! I knew you could do it, Creed!" Rosie cheered.

Rex barked urgently.

"What's that?" Snivels' eyes widened. "Bullwort blasted the Ignosaurus fossil with the Imperva-ray?"

Creed and Rex nodded solemnly.

"We're in trouble, folks." Snivels gulped.

"What exactly is an 'Imperva-Ray'?" Richmond asked, confused.

"The Imperva-Ray is an advanced molecular-binding technology," Vivian explained, face pale, "it can make any surface harder than diamond."

"Harder than diamond?" Diggins snorted in disbelief. "I've never heard such nonsense."

"It did something, though." Creed pointed out. "It has a new coating, like bronze."

A hum. "Creed, let me see the fossil rock."

Nodding, Creed handed her case over to Diggins. Opening it, the scientist examined the miniaturized fossil rock.

Cyan met aquamarine. "I'll be going to take a closer look. I'll be in the cleaning room, Creed. Come by in a little while." Without waiting for a response, he left the room.

/\/\

"Um…excuse me?"

Pausing in her pacing, Creed looked up at the approaching man. He was dressed in one of the work uniforms of the Vivosaur Island employees.

"Yes?"

The man shifted a little nervously, or was that embarrassment?

_I wonder what's wrong._

"I was, er, wondering…" the man trailed off, looking away.

"If you have a question, just say it."

A moment's hesitation, and then, "Would you help me clean some fossils?" said all in a rush, the man looked somewhat winded when he finished.

A blink. "Pardon?"

A faint flush crossed the man's features. "I heard you're one of the best cleaners on the island, with a near 95% clean average."

A nod. "Yes, that's true."

"Well, one of my jobs is to clean fossils for study. Even with things the way they are, I can't just neglect my duty."

_Translation: You're scared and want something familiar and safe to do to take your mind off of what's happening but you don't want to do it alone._

Another nod. "Alright, but I probably won't be able to help for long, Dr. Diggins will be wanting to see me shortly."

The man shot her a grateful look. "That's alright, all the help I can get will be greatly appreciated."

A smile. "Alright then, lead the way."

/\/\

"Wow, you're _really_ good." The employee said, eyes wide, as he watched Creed work.

Creed glanced up a moment before returning to her work. "It isn't that hard." She said dismissively.

"Not to you maybe." He glanced down at his somewhat battered fossil. "But it takes me almost the full hour to clean fossils _and_ keep them in good condition. Even then I'm lucky to get it at even ninety percent." A slightly envious look crossed his features. "You take less than a quarter of an hour to complete a fossil and clean it so it's almost mint condition."

A momentary pause, tools held still mid motion over the fossil. Aquamarine sent a glance at the man, who seemed to be forgetting to clean his fossil.

_Time to change the subject…_ "What kind of fossil is this?" she gestured to the tiny skull fossil she was cleaning and the matching pieces she had already cleaned. "I'm not familiar with it."

The man leaned over, studying the fossils a moment before responding. "Compso, I think." He answered. "Derived from the compsognathus, meaning—"

"Elegant Jaw." Creed finished with a thoughtful nod.

"That's right, you know Greek?"

A shrug. "Somewhat, I studied both it and Latin because so many words and dinosaur names are derived from them. I can recognize words and meanings, but I can't speak it."

"That's more than I can do."

"Excuse me." Creed glanced up from her now cleaned fossil. Wendy-the-receptionist glanced in from the doorway. "Dr. Diggins is ready for you."

A nod, and Creed set the tools down. Standing up with a lazy stretch, she turned towards the door.

"Thanks for the help." The employee called.

"No problem, maybe I can help again sometime in the future."


	21. Chapter 6: Awoken from the Fires IV

**Awoken from the Fires IV**

"No luck, I take it?" Creed queried, seeing the grave look on the scientist's face.

Diggins looked up at her and sighed. "Whatever that Imperva-Ray did to the fossil is a mystery to me. There's nothing like it in the world. I'm…" he fumbled with his words slightly, "I'm not sure how to go about breaking it down, but we may as well start with the obvious…" a glance back at the fossil. "Let's take a crack at cleaning it."

Creed nodded and picked up her tools.

Several minutes and several broken tools later Diggins finally conceded to defeat and told Creed to stop. Dark fingers ran through cyan hair as the scientist groaned in exasperation.

"I didn't really think it would be that simple." He eyed the ruined tools and exhaled sharply. "What to do? What to do?"

"Do not worry any longer."

_Duna!_

Disguised again as a human, the girl walked up to the revival chamber and studied the fossil for a moment.

"Stand back." She cautioned, pulling out her ray gun. Creed hastily grabbed Diggin's elbow and dragged him out of the danger zone.

A series of ring-shaped energy beams left the gun, phasing through the glass and engulfing the fossil. Face determined, Duna held her aim for several long moments until—

_Crack!_

The bronze, allegedly unbreakable, shell _shattered_ apart to reveal the burnt amber coloration once more.

"It is done." Duna holstered the gun again.

Creed studied the alien girl intensely. As if sensing her gaze, Duna glanced at her.

"You appear confused, Creed." She noted. "You saved my life. I have repaid the favor." A pause, and she turned away. "It is as simple as that."

Satisfied, somewhat, Creed dipped her head. "Thank you, Duna."

Duna cocked her head curiously before walking out of the cleaning room.

"Who was that?" Diggins asked, confused. A pause, and then he spun back to the fossil. "And more importantly, what's happened to the Ignosaurus fossil rock?" He peered in through the glass and inhaled sharply. "Wait, it's back to normal! Creed!" Excited eyes turned to the Fighter. "That means we can clean and revive it now!"

/\/\

Sleet and ice shattered against durable glass.

"That despicable Bullwort!" Diggins swore, looking out the window of the Fossil Center. "Vivosaur Town looks like the ice age!"

"No good, kidnapping town-freezer!" Rosie growled, standing next to him with narrowed eyes.

"Dr. Diggins, we've confirmed the reports…" Wendy walked up, face grave, "Frigi is on its way here!"

"Don't worry! We've got a secret weapon!" Rosie said with a fierce grin, spinning around. "Creed! Is Igno ready?"

Creed didn't respond, likely didn't even hear the question. Standing atop the fossil, she meticulously hammered away at the amber shell, regularly switching between her hammer and drill.

A moment of silence, only broken by the chipping of rock and the whir of the drill, and then—

"Make way for my Super Drill!" Rosie bellowed, swinging the large tool around like a spear.

Diggins quickly caught her by the shoulders and confiscated the tool/possibly-lethal-weapon. "Relax, Rosie." He scolded, "The better the fossil is cleaned, the more powerful the vivosaur will be." A smile. "And Creed is the best cleaner on the island."

"She knows what she's doing." Richmond walked up, watching Creed work. "She keeps a cool head, even in an emergency."

Everything suddenly went dark.

"We lost power?" Rosie yelped.

"What happened?" Diggins spun to Wendy.

"The cold is interfering with the generator!" A sharp gasp. "And Frigi is approaching." Pale, she turned to the doctor. "It's roughly three hundred yards from the center and closing."

"No…" Diggins clenched his fists. "This is bad."

"What happened to the lights?"

Everyone started and spun around. Somewhat dusty, Creed looked at them questioningly, cleaned skull fossil gleaming in the dim light behind her.

"The blizzard interfered with the generator!" Rosie cried. "We can't use the revival chamber to revive Igno!"

A faint rumble sounded over the howling winds coming from outside. Aquamarine eyes glanced out the window.

"That isn't a problem. I can get the power needed." Creed said flatly.

"How?"

"Do you have a lightning rod?"

"Here!" Wendy pulled out a long metal pole with a long extension cord attached to one end.

Creed took it. "How long is the cord?"

"Long enough to wrap around Vivosaur Town twice."

A smirk. "Good."

Diggins stepped forward. "What are you-?"

Wind roared. Snow swirled. A loud _craw_ was heard over the noise as something large dived out the door.

Creed forced the door shut again, grunting from the effort.

The pieces slid into place and Diggins' eyes widened. "You want Mistral to take the rod and generate power that way?"

A nod. "She can do it."

"Impossible!" Wendy argued. "The fossil will be destroyed!"

"Lightning sparks fire." Creed shrugged. "And Ignosaurus is the incarnation of fire. It will survive."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Richmond asked. "Reviving Igno?"

Everyone turned to him. The older man fixed Diggins with a hard look. "You remember the T-Rex."

Diggins froze, going pale. "I hadn't thought about that." Unease crossed his face. "Ignosaurus is even stronger than T-Rex, Creed—"

"There is no choice." Creed said flatly, face hard.

"Creed, what's wrong? What about the T-Rex? Do you know something we don't?" Rosie asked, looking between them nervously.

"Frigi was only partially awake when I fought it last time." Creed explained. "Only a fraction of its power was used." She fixed them with a hard look. "Bullwort is _weaker_ than the owner of T-Rex."

Diggins swallowed, realizing the implication.

"What does that mean, Creed?" Rosie was the only one who didn't know the story.

"If I don't stop it with Igno, then Bullwort will die, along with everyone else on this island." A pause, Creed glanced up at the ceiling. "Mistral's ready."

Suddenly, the lights turned on again. The revival chamber lit up with energy as the Ignosaurus skull was revived. The light blocked the fossil from sight, almost blinding the room inhabitance.

And just as abruptly, the lights died again and the sound of a medal clattering against metal sounded. Creed strode forward and paused as she eyed the dark gray medal in the slot. And then she reached out and touched it—

—and the current dragged her down.

/\/\

_A warm flow, a gentle caress. Faint glimmers of reds. Come with me._

Creed drifted along unresistingly.

_A steady pulse, like a fiery heart beat. Dark reds danced. _

A faint image of Bullwort flashed in her mind's eye.

_The warm flow strengthened into a current. Dark reds intensified. A threat?_

Flames engulfed the image.

_Tempting, but..._ a slight frown. _That's not—_

_Fire roared, a blazing inferno swirling around molten reds. A threat must be dealt with, a threat must _burn_._

_A threat…Bullwort is a threat. A threat to be bur—No! _She recognized this. Digging in, she _tore_ away—

—and immediately regretted it.

_Fire roared up, winding tightly together into a roaring tornado of scorching flames, air was drawn in leaving only a vacuum in its wake. A raging abyss of burning reds. _

This was _nothing_ like with Glyph. The flames wouldn't let her work her way out. Tongues of heat lashed out at her, _searing_ her. It _hurt_ to resist, like trying to rip out hooked barbs, only to have them sink deeper into skin and muscle.

_The inferno flared violently as the reds grew hotter and hotter until they were _white_._

Grip loosened, and Creed was pulled back into the current.

_The tornado encircled her, a scorching wall of white-tinged blue at the edge of her awareness, inside hot currents of coaxing yellow-orange tugged at her. I am strong, come with me, let me lead you._

If she stopped resisting it'd stop hurting. The flames wrapped around her, squeezing like a giant burning snake, threatening to burn her to ashes. If she let the inferno carry her, if she stopped resisting, it'd stop hurting.

Static crackled at the edge of her consciousness. _Someone, help me, please…_

Everything was fading to white—

An anchor, a grasping hand gripping hers before the inferno could engulf her, like strong protective arms. _"You aren't alone." _It seemed to promise. _"Trust me. I watch out for all my children."_

Then the voice was gone.

_What was…who was _that?

Then a familiar touch against her mind-

_A faint whisper of wind, all but drowned out in the firestorm, faint flickers of terrified dark greens. Creed, don't give up!_

And then it was gone, torn away by the raging inferno.

_Aero…_ Creed forced herself to dig in again, to fight the pull. This time, she tore free of the current, out of reach of the lashing tongues of fire, though not out of range of the blistering heat. This was not something she could reason with, like she had Glyph. Destruction and roaring fire given form, it was nothing but raw instinct. It could not be tamed. But…perhaps—

_You feed off the air to grow. You drag it along as a helpless victim._ Creed thought, bracing. _But air cannot be tamed either, it erodes rock, it forms the currents of the water—_

—_and steals the heat from a fire's blaze._

She clamped down viciously on the ancient power, encircling it with an allusion of wind, a tornado. Forcing it down, forcing it under control. It fought her unrelentingly. Like with a geyser of water there was simply too much pressure, too much force behind it to simply close a valve. Water would have to be split, over and over until it became a harmless trickle.

But this was not water, it was fire, and like all fire, it could be _banked_. It could be cut off from its source of fuel!

Gritting her teeth, Creed forced the tornado to increase, to make a vacuum, compressing and suffocating the power as she built metaphorical walls around it, to keep it contained. Like a furnace. Through sheer force-of-will she succeeded, banking the flames of power to more manageable levels.

It felt like pressing down a giant spring, just barely crunching it down enough to block it behind a seemingly insignificant catch. Such a small thing to restrain such power, such _force_. But so long as it held, it would not fail.

'Held' being the operative word, she was not oblivious to the risks of this. The strain would great, constantly testing her, a heavy pressure inside her chest like an expanding lead weight. A strain that would, at any _hint_ of a flaw, at any hint of a _weakness_, would burst out in a fiery vengeance and engulf her. Then, it would engulf everything around. 

A pained gasp, sweat dripping down her face as strong arms braced her shoulders.

_When…did I get on the floor?_

Her body _shook_ from the strain of suppressing the power, of keeping it contained. Like a growing pressure, a constant pounding inside her chest. She gripped Igno's Dino Medal hard enough for the edges to bite into her skin. Even now it strained against the walls she had built up. Even behind the restraints the blinding reds and whites, the burning _heat_ radiated through almost unbearably.

"Creed!"

She didn't have the energy to even twitch.

"Talk to me! Are you alright?"

Another gasp, trying to form words through the haze of shimmering heat in her mind.

"Fine." She rasped. "Igno…doesn't want to be restrained. It just wants to _burn_."

She clenched her eyes shut and steeled herself before forcing herself up. Standing straight, she swayed a moment before managing to find her balance.

"Stay here. You don't want to get caught in the backlash."

I_ don't want to get caught in the backlash. _ She thought. _ Oh, Hoinigen, if that is anything to what Frigi gives off…Bullwort wouldn't have had a chance. Swept up in the avalanche of power…and he probably doesn't even realize it._

Suddenly, she pitied the BB Boss.

/\

Ankles sunk into at least a foot of slush, icy wind sent daggers of pain through any visible skin and flailing hail and snow made seeing almost impossible. It was so cold that her breath almost condensed with each exhale and it hurt to breathe in.

Creed steeled herself, feeling Igno's power as she brought out his medal. Even in the medal his power leaked through, melting all the snow in a three foot radius, sending much needed warmth through almost frozen limbs.

_I haven't even been out here a minute, and I nearly froze._ Creed thought. _Is Bullwort even conscious? What about everyone else caught up in this?_

She looked at the medal, felt the power straining against the barriers. _I hope this works,_ she thought, and then summoned the ancient vivosaur.

The power lurched, violently, but before it could tear apart the barriers, Creed released a single side of the wall, directly in front of her.

Time seemed to slow down. The raging winds suddenly ceased, all the ice and snow was suddenly repelled outwards, evaporating into hissing steam. As the cloak of ice dispersed, Frigi became fully visible for the first time. It was titanic, Creed couldn't even begin to estimate just how big it was.

Then everything sped up again.

The titan of fire hadn't even fully materialized before it was charging down the street, any lingering ice and snow evaporating in his wake.

"Burning Bite!" Creed bellowed from atop Igno's head.

_Fire swirled as reds and blues lurched forward._

Frigi, caught by surprise at the sudden appearance of Igno, could do no more than whip its head around as the ignosaurus bit down hard on the base of its neck and then flung it back. The titan of ice crashed heavily on its back as Igno roared loudly.

At the clash of extreme heat and extreme cold canceled out the majority of the blizzard. Now hissing steam and fog spiraled around them in a great dome.

_This is far from over._ Creed thought grimly as Frigi picked itself back. She blinked. _Huh?_

"Ignosaurus!" Bullwort snarled from where he clung on Frigi's neck. "There isn't enough room in this world for both Frigisaurus _and_ Ignosaurus! Subzero Stomp!"

Frigi reared back on its hind legs before slamming down hard on the ground. A wave of ice shot out like a tsunami.

"Burning Bite!" Creed yelled again as Igno reared up and then shot forward at the wave, blazing teeth melting all the ice directly in front of them, leaving them untouched.

_Stoking a blaze of ever warming reds._

_He's still not at full power yet._ Creed realized with dread. _Neither of them are._

"Subzero Stomp!"

"Volcanic Combo!"

The fire titan lunged forward again as Frigi reared back a second time. His head whipped out in a horizontal arc, cutting frozen hide with blazing teeth before the fire around Igno flared up and he slammed a broad shoulder into Frigi's exposed underbelly.

Creed cringed as Igno's powers slammed against the restraining walls, like sandpaper being dragged through her insides.

Fire surged forward in the aftermath of the blow, coating the sauropod in a blanket of dancing flames as it was flung back again in a cloud of steam.

_Was…was that it?_ Creed thought when there was no immediate response.

The steam began dispersing and insane black eyes glittered maliciously.

"Ice Age!"

_Oh, Huere—_

The world dissolved into white static.

_Ow…_

She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. Everything was numb. And then, deep in her mind, there was a _crack_.

Fire surged, and ice exploded.

Like letting a draft of air into a closed furnace, the fire almost literally exploded, snapping through Creed's meager walls in compressed bursts like countless geysers. She didn't have a chance to brace before she was yanked along by the power's current.

_Warm…_she thought in a daze in a sea of gray. _I feel…warm._ Indeed, the lethal chill that had locked up her limbs was gone, relaxing the tension from her frame, aided by wisps of green tinted blue.

_Ice is just…the absence of heat._ She realized dazedly. _It can only get so cold. But heat on the other hand…fire has no such limitations. It just kept growing, devouring everything it touched—_

A chill that had nothing to do with the cold lanced through her. Her eyes widened as she _yanked_. The sea of gray dissolved into burning reds and yellows as for the third time she tore out of the center of the current. With her resistance, wave upon wave of pressure slammed down on her, both internally and externally. The power fought against her attempt at suppressing it again, tearing down any hint of binding walls with no effort.

Everything felt taunt, tendons stretched to the point of snapping, muscles burning from strain, and blood boiling as it carried vital air to the aforementioned locations.

She was hanging over an abyss of a raging inferno by the skin of her fingernails, barely clinging onto sanity. Creed braced, and pulled towards the edge of the current. It fought, it flailed, it brushed her off as if she was nothing, but she did not stop. She could not stop.

_It can't be suppressed!_ She realized in dismay, and then she stopped. _No, not suppress, but maybe it could be—_

Stop bracing, relax, gather up the power flow, direct it…

"Volcanic Combo!"

…and _fire_!

The world snapped back into focus, though remained in a continuous red haze.

Igno clamped down on Frigi, gapping maw now a dancing wreath of fire.

"This isn't over yet!" Bullwort bellowed. "Ice Age, again!"

The world turned to static once more, but this time Creed was ready. "Roaring fire!"

Like stoking a hearth, the fire roared, but this time, it did not burn, instead it protected them from Frigi's blizzard. As waves of ice arched outward from the epicenter that was the clashing titans, time seemed to slow yet again.

_This has to stop._ Creed thought as stood solemnly on Igno's blazing head. _Everyone will die unless this stops _now. _But how? They can't overpower each other…they're too…evenly…matched…_ her eyes widened. _That's it!_

"Roaring Fire!" she yelled again. This time, the blazing aura that surrounded Igno shrank as it suddenly compressed, intensifying in incandescence. Any lone flame was drawn to the raging inferno that was the ancient vivosaur.

At her urgings, Igno clasped Frigi in a twisted embrace, filling the air with steam. Fire and ice both compressed and clashed fiercely, extreme currents of hot and cold formed a raging whirlwind around them.

_Time to finish this._ "Inferno Breath!"

Igno opened his maw again and a fireball shot out, colliding with Frigi's icy torso at point blank range.

_An explosion of fire, red maelstrom melting to blinding white._

The power expanded outward, no longer a single-minded current, and threatened to tear Creed apart from the inside out. And to think, this was simply the backlash of the collision! 

She screamed, a sound echoed by…Bullwort?

_Have to…get out of here…or will be torn apart. _ She thought on an almost detached level from the pain.

In response to that realization, her body moved of its own accord and the pain seemed to drop off her sense of awareness.

Step, step, brace, _jump_!

She was in the air between Igno and Frigi as the turbulence of clashing power continued to increase. Her fist swung out, striking home on Bullwort's icy cheek. The force knocked him from his perch on Frigi's neck, and a sudden air current swept them away from the clashing titans and high into the sky with the spiraling debris.

Bleary eyes watched as, through the increasing steam cloud, the two ancient vivosaurs grappled, bodies glowing white from the power at their command.

An unearthly wail sounded as the white increased to an agonizing level. The two titans, still locked in mortal combat, suddenly dissolved.

The pain, the pressure, all the power that had been threatening to rip her asunder, was suddenly gone, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. All of a sudden, Creed felt hollow, frail, burned out. But, at the same time, she felt accomplished, satisfied, as if an elder was smiling proudly down at her. _"You did what was right."_

Hard earth rushed up to meet the two humans.

_A surge of wind tore through panicked greens. Creed!_

Wind whistled as world broke apart into static again, and then faded to black.

"_Creed…"_

_A sharp crackle, a worried green landscape dashed with angry red. Don't fade._

"_C'mon Creed, you have to wake up! Please wake up!"_

_Sand shifted, sad blues backed an ascending spiral of supporting pale greens and yellows. Just rest, you're safe now._

"_Get her to the infirmary, she's in shock!"_

_A soft breeze caressed serene yellows and faint flashes of worried green. Don't give up, Creed._

/\/\

Two figures watched the commotion following the climax of the titanic battle.

A soft hiss of annoyance. "Why would you involve yourself in such…trivial matters?" a masculine tone demanded.

Duna said nothing, just staring intently as Creed's fallen form was rushed away. Her partner glanced down at her, mildly concerned, before he snorted.

"No matter." Arms folded, tail slowly swished back and forth. "All four components are assembled. It will soon be time to collect them."


	22. Chapter 6: Awoken from the Fires V

**Awoken from the Fires V**

Aquamarine flickered under closed lids. Creed tried to move, but her limbs felt too heavy. She paused, and then forced her eyes to open.

She blinked blankly up at a sterile white ceiling.

_Wha—_

_A dancing breeze amidst starbursts joyful yellows and splashes of optimistic oranges. Awake, alive, safe._

…_Aero?_

_A breeze of laughter lining a wave of amused yellow-orange. Who else?_

"Creed…?"

Creed glanced to the side. Concerned teal eyes met her weary aquamarine.

"Are you…alright?" Dr. Diggins began somewhat hesitantly.

She couldn't help it, "What's your definition of 'alright'? I'll compare it with mine, and then I'll answer." Her voice was much weaker than she'd have liked, and cracked when she spoke.

A weak smile.

"We were all worried." He spoke softly, "After Igno and Frigi vanished…well, we thought you had _died_. That fall would have killed you and Bullwort if Mistral hadn't caught you both."

"She's…a good partner." Creed mused, feeling her eyes begin to drift closed again. A tender look entered the scientist's eyes.

"Go back to sleep. Your body took a lot of strain."

"Don't have to…tell me…twice…" and then she was asleep.

/\/\

_Warm…_ The first coherent thoughts as Creed stirred again. _Feathers? …Chicane._

Opening her eyes was much easier this time. They didn't feel as if they had lead weights holding them down, just the regular sleepiness.

Ruby-red met aquamarine.

Creed blinked slowly. _That…isn't Chicane…_

A rumble of amusement vibrated against her side.

_A soft laugh carried on a faint whisper of wind. Carefully muted starbursts of happy and relieved yellows, oranges, and bright greens stood out against a backdrop of contented pale pink and adobe brown. A new friend, are you feeling better now, Creed?_

_I'll mend…_ Another blink. _New friend?_

A happy purr came from her chest, like a large cat. A small, triangular head pulled back, tilting curiously.

_Gravel shifted and stirred up curious and questioning wisps of pale-orange. Hello._

_A compso._ Creed realized.

The head bobbed up and down energetically.

_Dust danced in the wind. Splashes of happy yellow blended with anticipatory sparks of orange. Will you name me like you named your others?_

_I…did not revive you…how can you be my vivosaur?_

Chitterling laughter.

"He's yours because you cleaned his fossil."

Creed gave a start, as a muted pulse beat a patter inside her chest. _What's _he_ doing here?_

Leaning against the wall of the room door, arms crossed, Saurhead studied Creed intently.

_Wait…what did he—?_ "Would you repeat that?"

A finger pointed at Creed. "You cleaned," Finger shifted to the compso, "his fossil." The digit pointed at Creed again, "So you are his _de facto_ Fighter." A pause, then Saurhead dropped his hand with a deep chuckle. "He broke out of the revival chamber when he was revived and made a b-line here. It was quite a sight."

Creed glanced down at the compso, which had curled up like a cat and was staring at her hopefully. Aquamarine softened her, and Creed shakily untangled an arm from the covers and scratched his head.

"So, what are you going to name him?"

A long moment passed as Creed considered possible names. "Eli."

Eli's eyes brightened with pleasure and he rubbed his head against Creed's chest happily, purring loudly. Chicane snorted, but remained amused nonetheless.

"Short for 'Elite'?"

Surprised, Creed nodded. "How'd you know?"

A shrug. "I talked to your vivosaurs while you were out cold. I noticed a bit of a pattern with the names you picked." A chuckle. "'Chicane', 'Aero', 'Glyph', good names sure. They're quite creative but rather obvious if you get the subtleties behind them." 

Creed mirrored the shrug. "I just picked the names I thought fit best."

A nod. "I do the same thing with mine."

Something suddenly occurred to Creed. "How long was I out?"

"Oh, about four days. You were in pretty bad shape." A chuckle, "Yet, somehow, you ended up better than I did when I got Firestorm."

"Your T-rex?"

A nod. "Diggins tell you about it?"

"He did," a pause, "How did I turn out better? I'd have thought I'd have been worse off because Igno was so powerful."

"By all rights, you should have been." Creed got the distinct feeling that he was grinning from under the mask. "If not for a few variables: first off," he held up a finger, "You didn't let Igno run wild and you hoarded your vitality. I wasn't so lucky, so I got almost completely drained. Second," another finger joined the first, "I don't know how, but somehow you got back some energy when Frigi and Igno engulfed each other."

"How do you know what happened?"

A shrug. "Diggins told me when I came back and saw the mess." A chuckle, "Thought another T-rex had run amuck. Anyway," A third finger, "Diggins crammed so many of his 'Vital Bars' down your throat that your body was able to regain a good amount of energy without turning on itself." A fourth digit, "And lastly, I and your vivosaurs helped you."

A blink. "How?"

"Gave you some of our reserves." a chuckle. "A little trick I picked up over the years. The drain can work both ways, but it's the vivosaurs who decide which way it flows. Once Firestorm told them how it worked they were all too eager to help. Of course," a pause, "you're still going to be quite weak for some time, but you'll recover."

"Oh…" Creed blinked again and then dipped her head politely. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Saurhead's gaze suddenly intensified and the pulse strengthened. "It's been too long since I had a decent challenge, and I don't want to wait for the next Tourney just because you got stuck in bed and missed the rest of the Level-Up Battles."

_Ah, _that_ makes more sense._

"I'll fight you once I'm out of here."

"Good." His posture suggested he was smirking. "I look forward to it." He turned to leave. "The doctors should let you out in two or three days, if not…I'll have a word with them." And with that, he was gone.

"Well, if that isn't motivation, nothing is." Creed chuckled, scratching Eli's crest and leaning into Chicane's warm side.

The two small raptors shared her amusement, though Eli didn't quite understand what was funny.

/\/\

"So what will you be testing this time?" Creed queried.

Cyan eyes glanced back, shining with eagerness. "I'm going to be testing how deeply the FMP extends."

_Fossil Mind Phenomena, _Creed remembered_._ "Oh?" Intrigued, she inclined her head. "Do tell."

"First off, I'll be seeing just how the link flows between Fighter and vivosaur during a battle. You have one of the strongest connections I have ever seen." A laugh. "In fact, I don't even have a niggling of an idea of how strong it is. I'm eager to gather data."

_A whisper through intrigued pale-oranges. A battle? Could you use me, Creed?_

_Of course, Aero._ Creed sent back. _You could use some fresh air._

"I've asked Jonas to be your opponent."

_Jonas?_ Creed hummed, recognizing the name. A faint suspicion tugged at her. "Is there something else you'll be gathering data on?"

A grin. "To analyze how someone with innate connections with vivosaurs—" He opened the lab door and gestured Creed through.

A familiar pulse beat through her chest.

Creed breathed in sharply. Going completely rigid, her eyes snapped to the person already waiting in the room. Aquamarine met black. In the back of her mind, she felt Chicane and Aero growl in recognition.

"—reacts upon meeting someone similar." Diggins finished, coming up next to her.

"You!" the other yelped, jabbing a finger at Creed.

"Fascinating, they automatically zone in on each other upon coming within range even if they don't have immediate visual contact." The scientist rapidly jotted down notes on his clipboard.

"Doctor…?" Creed's tone was wary as her gaze never left the other's face.

"Creed, this is Jonas…oh!" Cyan lit up in realization. "Of course, you probably know him as Medal Dealer Joe."

The two Fighters scrutinized each other intently.

"Wasn't he arrested?"

"Oh, he was let out on early bail so he could help me with this experiment." With a cheery wave, Diggins made for another door. "Why don't you two get acquainted while I make sure everything's ready?"

And then he was gone, leaving the pair alone.

There was a long moment of tense silence before Creed decided to make the first move. Relaxing her tension, she approached Jonas. The other stiffened slightly at her advance.

"We were never properly introduced." She offered a hand. "I'm Creed."

Jonas looked between Creed and the proffered hand warily before some of the tension eased out of his frame. He took her hand firmly. "I'm Joe."

They shook once and then released. A somewhat less tense silence fell over them, though it was more awkward than anything. Neither was sure of what to say next.

"How are your vivosaurs?" Jonas asked suddenly.

A blink, and then Creed smiled. "They are doing well, thanks." A pause, then Creed held out Aero's medal. "See for yourself, if you want."

Eagerly, Jonas took it. His fingers traced the grooves of the medal almost reverently. Eyes widening, he looked at Creed. "This…this is the same spinax you used against me?"

A nod. "His name is Aero," Creed informed, "and yes, he is. He is also the first vivosaur I revived."

Jonas's eyes lit up with approval and Creed got the distinct impression that she had just passed some sort of test in the young man's eyes. "You respect them?"

A slight frown of confusion. "Of course, they are my dependents and my partners. Why do you ask that?"

"He," a gesture to the medal as he handed it back, "is one of the _best_ vivosaurs I have ever encountered!"

Creed was mildly taken aback by his sudden enthusiasm.

"Their fossils are practically _pristine_, they each have their own independent thoughts and unique personalities, they are completely loyal to you, _by choice_, and even when they were still newly revived they refused to bond with me!"

Slowly, Creed blinked. "…Bond with you?"

A proud gleamed entered the other's eyes. "I can connect with any vivosaur, whether I was the one who revived them or not, and can use most of them in a fight." A reverential look crossed his face. "Yours are some of the few that won't let me do that."

A thoughtful hum. "That'll explain how you used your stolen vivosaurs so easily—"

"I didn't steal them!" Creed barely managed to refrain from flinching at the biting proclamation. "I was saving them!"

A slow blink, "…Pardon?"

Tendons bulged blatantly against clenched fists as Jonas's shoulders shook with fury. "It's abuse! Incompetent Fighters just barely managing to clean their fossils past the minimum requirement, and then _reviving_ them!" He ground out. His eyes took on a suspicious shine. "Those poor vivosaurs! They're nothing more than empty shells, it's amazing they can function at all! They are incapable of independent thought and are just barely able to follow the most basic instructions!"

—"_That creep messed with my vivosaurs! He integrated arm fossils into them and replaced the skull fossils I had used to revive them in the first place!"—_

"I see, so you would take those vivosaurs and integrate them with better fossils."

A nod. "Right." A smug smirk. "And of course, I can't support all those vivosaurs, I'm just not strong enough to care for that many. So I sell them to people with better records." A shrug. "Occasionally they would end up back with their original fighters, but most of the time the vivosaurs won't listen to their Fighter anymore."

_Like with Rosie… _"I can see your point." Creed allowed. "But your chosen course of action was poorly thought out. Wait—" She held up a calming hand as Jonas made to disagree. "Yes, you helped those vivosaurs, got them into better condition, however, in the process you simply became another criminal in the eyes of the populace. A thief."

Jonas frowned and set his jaw stubbornly.

"Alright, allow me to put it this way. You helped those vivosaurs, but in the long run? You did nothing productive. Dr. Diggins has only just begun to realize how the condition of the fossil affects the vivosaur's mind state, the average Fighter knows even less."

A flicker of growing understanding began to show.

"However, if you had worked to spread the awareness so people could _understand_ why having well cleaned fossils are important then you might have gotten even more done."

"I-I see…" He looked down, thoughtful.

"Alright!" Both jerked in the direction of the returning scientist, "Everything's all set!" Cyan glanced between the two. "I want you to pick a single vivosaur and battle in the arena out back." With a beckoning motion, the three of them moved through the corridor leading to the small arena. "You don't have to go all out, but you should put at least some effort into it." A pause, and then a chuckle. "Sorry, I forgot who I was dealing with for a moment. You two would never take a battle lightly, would you?"

_Unless it's with people with low level vivosaurs and no tactical sense._

"This is going to be quite a match." Cyan eyes gleamed. "A battle between two Synchro Fighters, and I have all the equipment needed to record it!"

The two Fighters exchanged quizzical glances. "Synchro Fighter?"

"Oh, sorry, that's what I've decided to call people like the two of you, and Saurhead of course." A grin. "Because you _synchronize_ with your vivosaurs, get it?"

Creed twitched. _While the name sounds good…the reasoning behind it is a little…eh._

"Synchro, huh?" Jonas hummed, testing the new term. "I like it, sounds cool."

"I thought so too." Diggins grinned as he led them through the corridors.

/\/\

"Will you be using Aero?" Jonas asked curiously as they entered the arena.

Puzzled, Creed nodded. The other Fighter grinned.

As Diggins settled on an observation platform, Jonas ran to the far end of the arena and drew a medal. With a sharp flick, he released it.

Blue and gold hide gleamed healthily under the sun as the theropod vivosaur roared loudly, standing tall.

Derived from the neovenator, which translates to "New Hunter", the neo, as it was called as a vivosaur, was roughly the same size as Aero though possessed a somewhat more graceful build. Dark blue with golden patterns were etched across its hide but the most notable characteristic of this particular vivosaur was the odd horn protruding from the tip of its muzzle and swept back over its head like a razor blade.

"This is Fraction." Jonas introduced, a look of pride on his face. "He was my first vivosaur and has been my loyalist partner."

A smirk tugged at the corner of Creed's mouth. "How fitting." She quipped, releasing Aero.

"Isn't it, just?" Jonas returned, a matching expression on his face.

"Anytime you're ready." Diggins called.

"Spinax Fang!"

"Neo Bite!"

Dirt flew, and gleaming fangs clashed.

/\/\

_Ow…what happened?_ Aquamarine blinked owlishly at the open sky.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jonas leaned over her, concerned.

"Creed! Creed!" A rapid patter of frantic footsteps against loosened dirt.

"Doctor Diggins?" Blinking away stars, Creed sat up stiffly. "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry!" the distraught scientist apologized, dropping down next to her and handing her a Vital Bar. "I forgot you were still recovering from Igno!"

"I overdid it?"

A frantic nod. "When you dismissed Aero you collapsed! Are you alright?"

Bracing, Creed moved to get up, "Fine, I'll be…fine—" Color swam, a sense of vertigo washed over her and Creed found herself being supported by both Diggins and Jonas. Blinking dazedly, she had to reconsider her earlier response.

"Wait, you beat me that easily, and you're at partial strength?" Jonas asked incredulously, eyes widening.

"I'm surprised she could call Aero at all." Diggins said solemnly.

The two men straightened up, holding Creed between them. For her part, Creed just hung limp, fighting back more stars.

"It was _that_ much of a drain?"

"Worse." Cyan looked down at the semi-incapacitated Fighter. "We should get you back to the hospital. I'm sorry for being so negligent."

"It's fine." Creed murmured softly. "It was fun all the same, I hope you got the data you wanted."

/\/\/\

**Next Time**:

"Creed, are you sure you should be up?" Rosie asked, hovering over the Fighter as she replaced her belongings into their proper places in her sleeves. "You're still not fully recovered. You're too pale and can hardly stand."

"I'm standing just fine." Creed answered curtly.

"But this is _Saurhead_, are you certain you should fight him? What if it's too much for you?"


	23. Chapter 6: Awoken from the Fires VI

**Awoken from the Fires VI**

"Creed, are you sure you should be up?" Rosie asked, hovering over the Fighter as she replaced her belongings into their proper places in her sleeves. "You're still not fully recovered. You're too pale and can hardly stand."

"I'm standing just fine." Creed answered curtly.

"But this is _Saurhead_, are you certain you should fight him? What if it's too much for you?"

"Then I'll stuff myself on Dr. Diggins' Vital Bars and berate myself for being an idiot."

"This isn't funny!"

"Who said I was joking?"

Wrapped happily around Creed's shoulder, Eli's head snapped back and forth at the verbal tennis match. Rosie had been objecting since Creed had first gotten out of bed, nearly twenty minutes prior.

"But…! You…" a sigh, "Oh forget it. You're just going to ignore me."

"Bingo. Finally picked up on that, did you?"

Rosie gave a strangled growl, looking as if she wanted nothing more than to strangle Creed.

Chuckling, Creed straightened up. "I'll see you at the arena, kiddo. Good luck with your matches."

"You need luck more than I do." Rosie whispered as the elder Fighter walked out of the room, still chuckling.

/\/\

_Maybe I'm not up for this after all…_ Breathing heavily, Creed sat slouched on one of the benches in the stadium lobby. _If just those two battles wore me out _this_ much…I may not fare well against Saurhead._

While the two battles had not been on a set time limit, like her last Level-Up Battle. No, instead she had to win the match "_flawlessly"_. If she lost even a _single_ vivosaur in the fight then it didn't matter if she won or not, she'd be disqualified.

_Should I call it quits…and try for the next Tourney when I'm fully recovered,_ she wondered, o_r should I press on anyway, and risk getting even more injured?_

A slight pulse. The crinkle of aluminum. Creed blinked at the vital bar held in her face. Glancing up, she met the shadowed gaze of Saurhead.

"Take it." The veteran Fighter growled.

Another blink, then Creed quickly took the offered snack. In what felt like a passing of a second, Creed had devoured several of the bars, feeling a little better with each bite. Saurhead, somewhat amused, just kept handing over more bars until he seemed to see something change in Creed's posture and then stopped supplying them.

"Get moving. It's time for our match." He said gruffly, turning away.

Amused, Creed got up and followed him to the arena.

The hot sand burned beneath her feet, a heavy, suffocating pressure weighed down on her. Saurhead stood tall on the other end of the field. For a moment, she stumbled, and then pressed back against the pulse with her own, standing just as tall.

Dino Medals flashed.

"Go!" The two Synchro Fighters yelled in unison.

The world exploded as wind and fire clashed.

/\/\

"You must have cheated or something to beat Saurhead!"

_Huene, you have _got_ to be kidding._ Exhausted, Creed sent the two über fans exasperated looks.

"Yeah…cheater!" the man shouted, trying and failing to look intimidating. "You're a dirty, cheating…cheater! Cheater."

A disbelieving blink. "Is that _really_ the best you can come up with?"

On her shoulder, Eli hissed viciously, hackles arched.

A loud snarl cut off any more insults from the two fans.

"That's enough!" Saurhead stormed up, shoulders tense, yellow shirt notably singed. "Do you think Saurhead can't spot a cheater in the ring?"

"Oh! Saurhead!" The boy gasped and the two fans quickly stepped away from Creed.

Creed sent the veteran fighter a grateful look. Saurhead inclined his head slightly, ignoring the two kowtowed fans. "Hey, kid. That was a good battle." He praised, sounding very much satisfied. "Saurhead hasn't smelled the old-socks odor of defeat in ages!" He punctuated his declaration with another snarl.

"Hear that?" the man whispered excitedly to his son. "Saurhead smells old socks!"

"It's a figure of speech you dimwit!" Creed hissed. Saurhead shrugged slightly and gave off the impression of an annoyed eye-roll.

"_What can you do with fanatics like them?"_ he seemed to say.

"So…" The boy spoke up hesitantly, "that was just a hard-fought battle? No cheating?"

Saurhead snorted. "No cheating." He assured. "And victory over me, Saurhead, means that you, kid, are now a Master Fighter!" he held out a new Fighter's License. "I hereby certify you, Creed, as a Master Fighter."

Creed took the license and Saurhead roared again.

"Let's fight again sometime." He suggested, crossing his heavily muscled arms, "When you're at full strength and I have my main team."

A nod. "I look forward to facing you and Firestorm again."

"Don't get full of yourself, kid, just because you're a Master Fighter." Saurhead warned. "There are plenty of Fighters out there with tough, tough vivosaurs. Never let your guard down."

"Perish the thought." Creed smirked.

A snort. "You just keep doing what you're doing, kid. Lots of digging and lots of fighting!" With one last roar, he turned and walked away."

"Saurhead didn't use his strongest vivosaurs?" The boy breathed. "Sheesh. He wasn't even taking the battle seriously!" He ran off after his idol.

"Just imagine how much Saurhead would flatten the competition with his _real_ vivosaurs!" The man whispered in awe, and then hurrying off after his son.

Creed rolled his eyes. _Of course he wasn't using his full strength,_ she though with disdain. _He was testing my potential._ A frown. _But he _was_ taking the battle seriously, or he wouldn't have used Firestorm._

_A hot breeze spiraled up sharply amidst victorious blue-yellow-greens with faint traces of tired, washed out colors along the edges. We came, we saw, and we conquered!_ Aero sent smugly.

_Now where did you get that particular phrase?_ Creed sent, amused.

"Creed!" Rosie ran up, eyes bright. "You made Master Fighter? Congratulations!

A nonchalant shrug. "Saurhead doesn't use his main team for Level Up Battles, though he made a slight exception against me."

"What?" Rosie jerked back in shock. "Saurhead didn't use his regular team of vivosaurs for the Level-Up Battle? But he was still strong as ever?" A pause. "What do you mean he made an exception for you?"

"I faced Firestorm, his T-Rex. Though I doubt the other Master Fighters will be quite as ruthless."

"Wow…" Rosie breathed, eyes wide. "I'm heading into my final battle now. I better reconsider my team." A moment of tense silence, and then, "Anyway, thanks for the pro tip, Creed."

…_What 'pro tip'?_

Rosie bounced in place. "Okay, I can't put it off any longer! Time to become a Master Fighter too! Wish me luck!" she ran off towards the door to the stadium. "Bye!"

Creed watched the enthusiastic girl go with a mildly exasperated sigh. _That girl…_

She turned away from the front desk—

—paper fluttered. Creed's hand shot out reflexively, snatching the small leaflet as it drifted past her nose.

_What's this?_ She wondered, turning it over curiously.

_There's something I want to talk_

_to you about, Creed. I'll wait for_

_you in the park tonight._

_From: _

"…Duna?"

/\/\

The glowing white and gold of Duna's human guise stood out in the darkness of night, allowing Creed to locate her quite easily. On silent feet she strode up behind the enigmatic girl.

Duna turned her gaze away from the expanse of ocean and glanced back as Creed approached. A glimmer of relief flashed through slanted blue eyes.

"Thank you for coming, Creed." She spoke softly as Creed came to a stop next to her.

"It's no trouble." Creed shrugged, tone just as soft.

Duna shifted from one foot to the other, a little uncomfortable. Creed picked up faint wisps of uncertain pale green and curious pale orange.

"I am unsure if I will ever see you again," Duna said at last, "so I wanted to make sure I was able to speak with you."

'_Unsure if I will ever see you again'?_ Creed thought, brows creasing ever so slightly. _Something's going on…_

"As you have seen," the pseudo-blonde continued, "I am not human." Turning away, she looked up at the stretching expanse of stars. "I am a Dinaurian."

_Dinaurian? _Creed rolled the word around in her mind. _It fits._

"I am from another world. You might think of us as dinosaur people." Duna's gaze grew distant. "Living beings change over time… Over millions and millions of years. This is called "evolution"."

A mental eye-roll. _I don't believe in the Evolution Theory, but who am I to interrupt when this is obviously hard enough for her say already?_

"You and I have followed different evolutionary paths and now are different creatures altogether."

_Creatures?_ Creed echoed mentally._ You speak so negatively about us both... You are a _person_, same as I. It is only culture and appearance that sets us apart._

"The Dinaurians as a group have never thought well of humans."

"Because of the difference in our appearances, or our cultures?" Creed queried aloud.

Duna glanced at her. "You have a long history of turning against each other, waging war, and other such…problems." She looked away again.

_That's true enough,_ Creed assented mentally, _that's human nature…but that is not all there is._

"I have always believed humans to be unable to respect one another, wanting nothing more than conflict. But…" a slight hesitance, "you are different. Despite the fact that I am Dinaurian and I attacked you… You saved me from under those rocks." Another pause. "May…may I ask you one thing?"

Head cocking to one side, Creed nodded.

"If there were a war between humans and Dinaurians…If I were your enemy…"

"I would treat you no different." Creed interrupted firmly. Duna gave a start, eyes wide with surprise. "You aren't evil, you just have different ideals than I do… That's not enough to condone killing in my eyes."

Faint colors warmed to a happy pale yellow-gold

"Your answer inspires a strange feeling in me." Duna murmured, looking away thoughtfully. "It is hard to describe." A pause. "I suppose it is…happiness."

_Duna…_ Creed, heart reached out in sympathy. _Where have you been, what have you seen that you have never felt happy?_

A soft sigh. "It saddens me that I will not be able to see you again. But…this is something that cannot be changed." Shoulders slumped slightly. "There is nothing that can be done about it."

Wisps dimmed again, dulling to resigned mauve and gray-blue mixed with dark violet-blue-gray and—

_Regret?_

"If only…" A wistful expression entered Duna's eyes, "I could change the past and have you evolve into a Dinaurian like me…If that were possible," a shy glance at Creed, "we could be really close…friends." Duna turned away, a sad smile on her face. "Good-bye, Creed."

Creed started as deceptively thin arms embraced her. She hesitated a moment, and then returned the hug, wrapping her arms around thin shoulders.

The colors strengthened in her mind's eye.

_Water splashed happily amidst contented pale yellows and pinks._

And then the moment was gone. Duna pulled away reluctantly and walked away, casting one last longing look over her shoulder before disappearing.

_Duna…_ Creed thought mournfully, _what's wrong?_

**Next Time**:

"Oh, Creed! Perfect timing!"

The red head paused outside the Fossil Center as Rosie ran up.

"You know those idols that the BB Bandits were after?"

_What about them? _Creed nodded.

"Turns out," Rosie grinned brightly, "they _do_ have a hidden secret! They're not just old statues!" pink eyes absolutely _shown_ with excitement. "There's advanced technology inside that no one's ever seen before!"


	24. Chapter 7: The Revival I

**Chapter 7  
The Revival I**

Frigi Vs. Igno: Ultimate Showdown!

_The town was briefly taken over _

_by the escaped BB Bandits._

_In the end, Creed faced off _

_with Bullwort, the BB Boss,_

_at the heart of Vivosaur Town_

_in the battle of the millennium,_

_Bullwort's mighty Frigisaurus was_

_defeated by Creed's Ignosaurus._

/\/\

"Oh, Creed." Straus grinned as the red-head walked into his shop, a small compso perched on her shoulder. "Good to see you, I take it you got my message?"

A nod. "Dimitri told me as soon as I left my apartment." A curious gleam entered aquamarine. "What did you need?"

Grin broadening, Straus leaned over the table and whispered in a conspiring tone, "I just got a new shipment of fossil rocks, fresh from the Parchment Desert."

A blink. "Parchment Desert?

Straus nodded, still grinning. "It's one of the two really exclusive Dig Sites that only Master Fighters are permitted to go to." He leaned over farther, voice dropping even lower. "It's were some of the most powerful vivosaurs are found, like Saurhead's T-Rex."

Eyebrows arched. "Really? If that's so, then what fossils did you get? Not T-Rex I'd suspect."

"No, not T-Rex, but something almost as good! I got a complete set of Allo fossils!"

Creed blinked again. "Allo? I'm not familiar with that Vivosaur."

"It's derived from the Allosaurus." Straus explained.

"Different Lizard?" Creed questioned, "I'm familiar with it, a fearsome predator but not the strongest. What's so special about its vivosaur counterpart?"

Straus grinned again, eyes bright. "It's the strongest neutral vivosaur known."

"Oh?" A look of intrigue entered Creed's eyes. "And I take it you're offering to sell it to me?"

An affirmative nod.

"How much?"

The total price was listed and Creed whistled. "That's pretty steep." A thoughtful expression appeared. "But not out of my range. If I exchange some of the gems I've found, would that make up for the difference of what my gold can cover and the total cost?"

"Of course." Straus nodded again. "You know I'm always happy to buy gems."

"Then I'll take all four pieces."

/\/\

_A uniform background of powerful dark reds, tempered with streaks of restrained greens._

Eyeing the large blue-streaked-with-white figure, Creed quirked an eyebrow with curious intrigue.

_Well, this is different._

Thirteen meters long, the allo vivosaur was strong, she could defiantly tell that much, certainly worthy of the claim of being the strongest neutral vivosaur. But, what made it strange was that, unlike with other powerful vivosaurs she had revived, such as Glyph, it did not strain against her control. It was just, standing there, perfectly well behaved, as if waiting for orders.

_Questioning wisps of pale orange broke the ordered background of dark reds. Orders, sir?_

Creed blinked at the distinctly military-esque mental tone. Well _that_ was certainly different.

_Nothing at the moment, Kratos._

Heavy head cocked curiously.

_Brief flashes of intrigued orange. Kratos? That is my name, sir?_

A nod. _Kratos, meaning power and strength. I think it suits you._

_Intrigued orange deepened with pride. Sir, I like it, sir!_

Creed smiled. _I thought you would._

/\/\

"Oh, Creed! Perfect timing!"

The red head paused outside the Fossil Center as Rosie ran up.

"You know those idols that the BB Bandits were after?"

_What about them? _Creed nodded.

"Turns out," Rosie grinned brightly, "they _do_ have a hidden secret! They're not just old statues!" pink eyes absolutely _shown_ with excitement. "There's advanced technology inside that no one's ever seen before!"

Enthralled, Creed's eyebrows arched. "Really?"

Rosie nodded vigorously. "Dr. Diggins has them over in the secret lab now, doing some testing. Let's go see what's going on." a pause, then another grin, "We might even find out more about Duna and what she's all about."

"I hope you know where this _Secret Lab_ is hidden." Creed stated flatly, arms crossed. "Because I sure don't."

"Of course I know where it is! It's—"Rosie was abruptly cut off as Creed slapped a palm to the pinkette's mouth.

"Hush!" the elder Fighter rebuked sharply. "If it's secret, don't go blurting it out in public!"

A blush spread across Rosie's nose and Creed lowered her hand. "Sorry." Rosie apologized, and then grabbed Creed's wrist, dragging her towards the Guild Area.

Resigned to the rough treatment, Creed just went along unresistingly.

_The Richmond Building,_ Creed noted as Rosie dragged her through the front doors, _somehow, I'm not surprised—_

A bloodcurdling scream set Creed's teeth on edge.

"What is that?" Rosie screeched, abruptly releasing Creed and darting behind her. "An aardvark? A beaver with a tail injury? A gerbil that's been working out?"

Blinking, Creed eyed the source of Rosie's distress.

Tan fur with brown spots, about three feet long and defiantly possessing some resemblance to a rodent.

"Looks more like a cross between a giant otter and a congo water civet to me." Creed mused thoughtfully.

Rosie groaned, apparently not hearing Creed's comment. "It looks most like a huge mouse." She gagged.

Beady eyes lit up hopefully as the strange creature chirped loudly and charged Rosie. The pinkette let out another shrill shriek, making Creed wince, and dived away.

The creature shot by, Creed's hands darted out. A startled squeak sounded.

Creed eyed the odd creature, turning it around so she could look at its face. Disturbingly intelligent dark eyes were absolutely flooded with terror and confusion.

_There's…something odd about this thing._ Creed frowned. _It looks too intelligent, too self-aware._

"Calm down," she rebuked gently, "you're scaring Rosie."

The rodent wilted, looking contrite.

_Curiouser and curiouser…_

"Um, Creed, you _do_ know you're talking to a giant _rat_, right?"

The rodent winced, looking hurt.

"Why don't you find someplace safe to go while we check out what's going on."

A pause, and then the rodent nodded. Gently, Creed set it down and watched it scurry away. Rosie walked up to her, shuddering.

"With mice that big running around," she growled, "what in the world has the cleaning lady been doing with her time? Wait…" Suddenly Rosie went still, glancing around in confusion. "The cleaning lady is usually here by now… Where IS she?"

"Something's wrong." Creed surveyed the room, eyes narrowed, "I don't like this."

"Hey!" Rosie yelped, pointing at the starboard wall with wide eyes. "Look!"

_I didn't notice those palms before…_ Creed blinked, then her eyes narrowed again. _Or that doorway…what's—_

"The trees blocking the entrance to the secret lab are gone!" Rosie hissed in a surprisingly low tone. She glanced to the side. "Excuse me, Mr. Guard?"

The red clad guard trembled, trying to hide beneath the palms. Curled up in the fetal position, he rocked back and forth, shivering violently. Creed could faintly hear him muttering frantically to himself.

Exchanging glances, Rosie and Creed approached him.

"Th-th-th-the beam…" The guard whimpered and then let out a high pitch, though stuttering, _squeak._

Rosie's head reared back, startled.

"Get ahold of yourself, man!" The pinkette demanded, trying to force the man to uncurl.

Terrified, the man only curled up tighter. Creed quickly grabbed Rosie's arms and dragged her off.

"S-s-s-secret lab…" The man whispered, "Underground…"

Rosie perked up. "What about the underground secret lab?"

The man didn't say anything else. If Creed hazarded a guess, she'd say he had gone pretty much catatonic.

"Okay, this guy is pretty much useless." Rosie said frostily. "Creed, let's just head down to the secret underground lab!"

She turned and rushed to the doorway without a backward glance. Creed hesitated, eyeing the poor man with pity.

_This is going to be _very_ bad._

/\/\

"Duna!" gasped Rosie, eyes wide, as she and Creed entered the lab.

Disguised in her human hologram, Duna whipped around, eyes wide. "Rosie." The pseudo-blonde whispered. Slanted blue eyes landed on Creed and suddenly filled with pain. "Creed."

_Faint wisps of scared green accented sharply by blurry streaks of alarmed red._

"Hello, humans." A masculine hiss as Duna's companion turned around and sneered at the two Fighters. Strong tail swishing slowly back and forth, the larger Dinaurian eyed them with disdain. "My name is Raptin. I have taken the liberty of letting myself in," a mockingly elaborate bow, "thank you."

"Hey, this is private property!" Rosie growled, metaphorical hackles rising. "What are you doing here? Explain yourselves!"

_I know why,_ Creed eyed the shelf behind the Dinaurians, noting the distinctive bareness of the surface. _The idols…_ All but the green one, the one behind Duna, was missing.

Purple patterned sleeve rose as Raptin rested it against his chin thoughtfully. "Ah," he hummed, "how to explain in such a way that you'll understand…" the sneer returned. "We are Dinaurians, a superior life-form." A fanged smirk. "First, I should thank you for collecting all the sub-idolcomps for us." A wry laugh. "Clearly we should have hired _you_ from the beginning, instead of that useless Bullwort." The name was spat like a curse.

"Hired us?" Rosie frowned, then light dawned. "Wait—_you_ hired the BB Bandits to look for those tacky idols?"

"Well, yes. Sub-idolcomps, actually." He corrected with mocking gentleness. "We require them to make some adjustments to an experiment." A malicious glint entered slitted yellow eyes. "This experiment, you might be interested to know, involves wiping humans off the face of the earth."

Creed's shoulders stiffened and her hackles rose. _Don't snarl, wait for the right moment…_ she told herself.

Rosie jerked back as if slapped, eyes wide. "Whoa, whoa—slow down!" she yelped. "You can't possibly have said what I thought you said!"

A scornful laugh. "I assure you I did, and I meant it." Another contemptuous look. "I suggest finding some way to occupy yourselves until your time comes. "

Duna's eyes widened. _Panicked reds drowned out the fearful greens in a storm of jagged streaks._

Another malicious grin as Raptin pulled out a laser gun. "For example, you could practice scurrying around on all fours!"

"Rosie! Move!" Creed yelled, starting forward—

—she was to slow.

A flash of yellow, a high pitch _whirr_ sound. Smoke engulfed Rosie. When it faded, another of the strange rodents stood in her place. The only recognizable trait that identified her as Rosie was her ever-present pink hard hat.

Swaying dizzily, Rosie glanced down and saw her furry paws. Panicked, she chattered loudly, darting back and forth madly.

"Ah interesting." Raptin laughed as Rosie-the-rat darted around. "Did the beam _actually_ work?" he stepped forward and his foot collided with Rosie's ribs, _hard_, sending her flying into the solid wall with a jarring _crunch_. Another laugh. "I have such trouble telling one mammal from another—_uurk!"_

"You _dastard_!" Creed hissed, fist sunk deep into the Dinaurian's stomach. Grabbing a fistful of dark blue hair, Creed slammed Raptin's head down, bringing up her knee to meet it.

Stunned but not helpless, Raptin grabbed Creed's arm and _twisted_ around. Other clawed hand gripping her shirt, he flexed and _threw_—

Flexing like a cat, Creed's feet landed firmly on the ground. Spinning around, she grabbed _his _wrist and twisted, hard. Dragged along with his arms, Raptin was flipped around but managed to mimic Creed's prior move and stick the landing. The two grappled, striking out with knees and shins, trying to subdue the other.

With a fantastic _snap_ of his wrists, Raptin broke free and stumbled back, favoring the fast forming bruises caused by Creed. A sharp hiss, and Creed lunged again, aiming a cobra-strike for his throat.

Hissing just as ferociously, Raptin leaned back and _struck_.

With a pained wheeze, Creed slumped against the now somewhat dinted wall. Limply, she slid down to the floor, breath stolen from her.

Growling in disgust, Raptin lowered his duel-jointed leg, panting slightly.

A furious snarl, Eli lunged at the blue and purple Dinaurian. Sharp teeth sunk deep into the vulnerable neck.

"S-stop it!" Raptin all but howled, trying to tear the enraged vivosaur from his neck. "Do not bite me, you filthy beast!"

Clawed fingers flashed, and Eli was sent crashing into the hard floor. The elegant jaw vivosaur wriggled weakly and tried to get back up—

—a clawed foot slammed down brutally on the fallen vivosaur. Eli's Dino Medal bounced weakly across the floor.

Raptin stumbled back, gripping his bleeding throat to staunch the flow. He snorted in disgust. "So primitive…" he wheezed, "and brutish." Slitted eyes turned to Creed, who was gasping for air. "Now," the ray gun was leveled at the fallen Fighter. "You are next."

_Anxious greens blended with terrified dark greens._

Eyes wide in alarm, Duna yanked the last idol from the shelf and quickly moved in front of Raptin.

"Raptin!" She said hurriedly, "We have the idolcomps. Let's hurry and get back to the ship." A hint of pleading entered her voice. "Just leave her alone…"

"Get out of the way, Duna," Raptin hissed furiously, still clutching his bleeding neck, "unless you'd care to revisit some earlier branches of the family tree!" with a vicious backhand strike, Raptin shoved her out of the way and took aim. "Take this!"

The same yellow beam flashed. Creed writhed as it engulfed her, but _did not change_.

Gasping, Creed's eyes widened as her vision went white.

A disdainful growl reached Creed's ears as she gradually grew numb.

"Must be out of power. Oh well. It should at least keep her knocked out for a while…" A rustle of fabric. "So, Duna..Shall we return to the ship?" A pause, and then a sharp gasp of alarm. "Wh-where is my teleporter?" A frantic clacking of talons against hard floor. "It must have fallen off my neck somewhere!"

A pause. "Duna, let me use your teleporter." A familiar whirring sound, but Creed could not place it. "I will go first."

_Color dimmed into resigned hills of gray-dark blue-dark violet._

"Creed. Rosie. I am so sorry." Duna whispered.

/\/\

As Creed became aware again, the first thing she noticed was just how _stiff_ her body felt, a painful _don't-wanna-move_ kind of stiffness. Groaning, she sat up and opened her eyes. Colors swam and she swayed where she sat, until it passed.

…_That's…a lot of pink…_

Then she became aware of rapid chittering.

A flicker of movement, and then suddenly something mildly heavy landed on her lap. Grunting, she reached out and gripped it instinctively-

"Rosie?"

Rosie-the-rat bobbed her helmeted head up and down rapidly.

"This your room?" It was the only possible reason why it would be so large and so predominately _pink. _

Quickly nuzzling Creed's stomach, Rosie chattered once and then jumped down again, tugging urgently at Creed's pant leg.

"Follow you?" Creed queried, bracing her temple with the palm of her head, dizziness not quite passed.

A vigorous nod and Rosie bounded over to the only doorway in the room. With a sigh, Creed stood up. She swayed momentarily before painfully following Rosie-the-rat out the door.

/\/\

"Diggins, who are those two on the security camera?" Richmond queried softly as the two men stared at the frozen image of the two intruders. "What do they mean by 'Dinaurians'?"

The scientist hummed softly. "Dinaurians…" he stared intently at the larger, least human, of the two figures. "Could these be humanoids that somehow evolved from dinosaurs?"

"That's right."

Both started and turned to see Rosie-the-rat bounding across the office. Creed followed long at a much slower pace. "They're not even from Earth." Creed gestured towards the screen. "And, as you can see, they don't exactly have our best interests at heart."

"Aliens?" Diggins breathed, eyes wide. "That would…explain why these Dinaurians have technology far beyond ours."

"Better than yours, Diggins?" Richmond asked in amazement, leaning back in his chair. "That _is_ impressive."

Diggins stared at the frozen screen thoughtfully. "Mr. Richmond," he began slowly, "do you think they might have something to do with the secret site?"

Richmond was about to respond when his eyes widened in sudden remembrance. He turned to Creed.

"Oh! Creed!" he gasped. "You're awake. We saw what happened in the secret laboratory. It was recorded on the security cameras." A pained look crossed his face. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Creed shrugged dismissively. "Occupational hazard, I'm rather used to it by now."

Richmond winced and then looked at Rosie. "It's Rosie, though, whom I'm really worried about. What have they done to her?"

Rosie squeaked out her distress, moving and jumping onto her grandfather's lap for comfort. Richmond ran his fingers through her tan fur.

"There, there, Rosie." he said gently, "I wish I could make you feel better…" An idea sparked in blue eyes, "Oh! Mice like cheese, right? I'll go get some—"

Hissing abruptly, Rosie leapt down and went over to Creed with a sniff. The Fighter-turned-rodent wound herself through Creed's legs like a cat.

Diggins sighed. "With all due respect, Mr. Richmond." He spoke politely. "Rosie did _not_ get turned into a mouse."

Surprised, everyone turned to look at the cyan-haired scientist.

"She was turned into a triconodonta."

_Three cone teeth?_ Creed's brow twitched. _Really?_

"A triconodonta?" Richmond echoed as Creed reached down and ran her fingers along Rosie's spine. The Fighter-turned-rodent shivered in delight, arching her back. "What's that?"

"Ancient creatures that were the predecessors to some modern mammals." Diggins explained, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. He gestured to Rosie. "The ray that hit Rosie must somehow revert creatures to earlier evolutionary forms."

Creed restrained a snort. _I'll take _that_ hypothesis with a grain of salt at the very _most_._

"Put another way," Diggins continued, "it alters your DNA to match that of your most ancient ancestors."

Richmond paled, eyes wide. "That's…utterly terrifying! What a devastating weapon!"

Diggins nodded solemnly. "Yes, we'll have to take that dino-being's threat to 'wipe humans off the face of the earth' seriously." A sigh. "I only wish we knew more about them, if only to understand their motivations better…"

One of Creed's metals warmed. A flash. And then Eli was chittering rapidly on Creed's shoulder, a metal pendant hanging from his mouth.

_Ground rumbled amidst urgent orange-reds streaked with laughing yellows. Creed! Creed! Here, look what I got!_

"What is that thing?" Diggins wondered, leaning over to examine it.

—_a clawed hand reached up to the pendant around Duna's neck—_

Creed inhaled sharply. "This is like what Duna had…Raptin said he lost—this must be his teleporter!"

"Good boy!" Diggins praised brightly, patting Eli's head joyfully.

With a fanged grin, Eli bobbed his head up and down. Dropping the pendant in Diggins' hand, he jumped down to join Rosie on the floor.

"He must have taken it when he bit that Dinaurian man!"

Richmond laughed. "What luck!"

"There's a switch on it." Diggins murmured, turning the odd pendant over curiously. "It looks like some sort of electronic device."

"Now, Diggins, don't you go pressing buttons." Richmond warned, suddenly nervous again, "We don't know what that thing could turn people into."

Diggins sniffed, insulted. "Don't worry. I'm not _that_ careless—" mid-sentence, the man sneezed. "Oh…darn." Diggins laughed uneasily. "I… I accidently pressed the button!"

"Diggins!" Richmond groaned.

The pendant flashed, Creed's hand shot out and gripped the chain.

"Let go—!"

The world dissolved into white static_._

/\/\

_Just like the VMM machines!_ Creed realized, stumbling as her feet hit blue-gray metal tiles.

"What…just happened?" Diggins groaned. "Where are we?"

Aquamarine eyes glanced to the side. Creed blinked, sighed, and then pointed. Following her finger, Diggin gasped.

There, only a few meters from them, was a very large glass window, and on the other side—

—blackness, only broken up by distant glowing specks.

"I don't believe it!" Diggins breathed. "Look out the window! We're in space!" He folded his arms, suddenly thoughtful. "And presumably aboard a spaceship!"

_No, really?_ Creed thought sarcastically. _I never would have guessed._

"So…" Diggins studied the pendant critically. "this 'pendant' is some sort of teleportion device then. Fascinating!"

_It's more than that, Doc—_

"But wait…this spaceship…is this the Dinaurian base? And where in the galaxy is it?"

"Hey, guys!"

Both humans jumped and spun around.

The unknown Dinaurian looked them up and down, partially disapproving, partially amused. "Looks like you forgot to turn off your disguises!" He waggled a clawed finger at them. "You know the rules—holographic disguise devices must be turned off inside the mother ship."

Yellow eyes suddenly narrowed to slits and the Dinaurian took a step towards them. "Or is there some other reason you look like humans…?"

Creed wrapped her fingers around Acryl and Chicane's medals, ready to strike first if things went south.

A more aggressive step. "Like…you're actually _real_ humans that sneaked aboard somehow?"

Creed and Diggins stiffened.

The Dinaurian glared at them for a long moment, and then broke out laughing as he stepped back. "I'm only joking!" doubling over at the hilarity of his own joke, the Dinaurian gasped for air. "C'mon! What are the odds that _real _humans could get out here into orbit! Sheesh!"

_Greater than you think._ Creed thought, trying to calm down her rapidly beating heart.

The Dinaurian's laughter calmed to sniggers. "Anyway," he turned away from them, "shut off the holography devices, okay?"

Diggins and Creed nodded quickly and the Dinaurian walked away.

Once he was out of sight, Diggins sagged in relief. "That was close!" He gasped. "We can't stay here looking like this. Let's get back to Earth."

Nodding, Creed gripped the pendant and Diggins pushed the button again.

/\/\

"Diggins! Creed!" Richmond shouted, voice laced with relief.

Creed stumbled, again, upon landing, but had no chance to regain her equilibrium as two small blurs tackled her to the ground.

"Don't scare me like that!" Richmond scolded sharply. "You just melted away in front of me! What happened?"

_Earth roared urgently, terrified dark greens overshadowed by relieved starbursts of yellow. Don't you ever do that again!_ Eli scolded almost hysterically.

Rosie, butting her head against Creed's chest, squeaking an incomprehensible series of rebuking chirps.

"You won't believe this," Diggins gasped, "but we were teleported to a spaceship—apparently the Dinaurian mother ship." He folded his arms thoughtfully, "We need to go back. That spaceship is our key to finding out more about the Dinaurians!" He hesitated. "But we're going to need disguises, some way to avoid looking to…human."

"The pendant." Creed gasped from the floor.

Diggins and Richmond looked down at her. Creed pushed Rosie and Eli off her chest and sat up shakily.

"It can produce some kind of holograms. Duna used it to hide her Dinaurian features and look like a regular human."

"Yes, yes…" Diggins murmured, eyeing the pendant in his hand. "I think I can reverse engineer it." Excited, his head whipped around. "Come to my lab later, I'll be running some tests on this device."

Without another word, he darted out the door.

/\/\

Straus glanced up as the bell over the shop door rang out.

"Oh, Creed, back so soon?"

A silent nod.

"Do you need something?"

"Yeah." Creed set her pickaxe on the counter top, a dark gleam in her eyes. "I'd like to make a few…modifications…to my pickaxe if that's possible."

For some reason, the hair on Straus's spine stood on end. Something told him it would be a very _bad_ idea to refuse her. "A-alright." He stuttered. "Wha-what do you need?"

The grin that answered him was _not_ very reassuring.

**Next Time**:

"You managed to build _this_ in a couple hours?" Creed gawked as she entered the warehouse eyeing the giant mechanical platform incredulously.


	25. Chapter 7: The Revival II

**The Revival II**

"You managed to build _this_ in a couple hours?" Creed gawked as she entered the warehouse eyeing the giant mechanical platform incredulously.

"Oh! Creed!" Diggins turned from the console he had been leaning over, a sheepish look on his face. "I'm all set here." A gesture to the giant machine. "I opened up the teleportation device and found out the battery was dead."

A groan. "Of course. And so you built this to do the same task."

Diggins laughed, an excited gleam in cyan eyes. "You know me. I got to tinkering and ended up totally rebuilding it. It's a little bigger now,"

"A little?" _It's over ten feet tall when the pendant fit in the palm of my hand…I'd hate to see what he considers _a lot_ bigger._

"We should be able to visit the Dinaurian's ship as much as we want now."

Creed eyed the machine skeptically before shrugging. She glanced back at Diggins. "What about the hologram projectors? Did you manage to figure those out too?"

A nod, eyes bright, Diggins pulled out two machines about the size of large watches. "Let's put on our disguises and sneak onto that ship! Are you ready?"

With a nod, Creed took one of the holo-projectors and strapped it to her wrist. Beside her, Diggins did the same.

"Pull out the button on the side." Diggins explained, pointing to the knob. "Twist it one full rotation, and the push it back in to activate the hologram. The second button next to it shuts it off. You just need to push that."

Intrigued, Creed did as instructed and white light encased her.

_Well…this is different._

Tail swishing slowly back and forth. Gray-blue skinned hands tipped with sharp claws gleamed in the artificial light, duel-jointed legs ending in sharp talons clacked softly against the tile.

"Fascinating…" Diggins murmured, eyeing his own hologram. "It seems that these aren't ordinary holograms, but solid projections!"

"That'll explain how Duna could blend in as well as she did." Glancing down to examine herself further, Creed noticed something else. "My jacket didn't change…"

"Neither did my lab coat…this is very interesting." A speculative gleam entered his eyes. "This merits further tests."

"_After_ we are done with task at hand." Creed reminded firmly. Diggins jerked, holographic ears twitching with embarrassment.

"Oh, yes, right." A sheepish cough. "Let's get going, shall we?"

/\/\

"Good—we're all in one piece." Diggins eyed his body and limbs with relief. A glimmer of dread lanced through the pit of Creed's stomach.

"One piece?" she repeated, spawning a sheepish look from the scientist.

"Did I mention that there was a danger of permanent discorporation?"

A blank look, then, in a low voice, "You mean we could have _died_ and you _conveniently_ forgot to mention it?"

"Um…yes?"

Creed took an aggressive step towards Diggins, claws extended ready to strangle him—

"Oh, you guys again…" The Dinaurian from earlier walked up, eyeing them approvingly. "Finally got rid of those stupid disguises, I see." His nostrils flared and he grimaced, holding his nose with a groan. "Go take a shower, you _reek_ of humans, yuck." Backing away, he turned to leave. "Stay out of trouble."

"That might be a problem…" Creed murmured as the Dinaurian walked away at a hurried pace, "if they can recognize our scents despite the holograms."

"Let's hope they pass it off as being around to many humans." Diggins suggested weakly, tail swishing anxiously.

A moment of tense silence.

"Let's start looking around." Diggins suggested, turning towards a random corridor.

"Good idea." Creed agreed, following him.

/\/\

_Interesting design…_ Creed noted as they strode through the corridor. _Those light patterns along the wall and flooring are quite eye catching._

"That's odd." Diggins frowned, running a clawed hand across the metal wall, stopping on one of the flashing yellow patterns. "These hallway patterns look…familiar…" He folded his arm thoughtfully, then light dawned. "Of course! It looks just like the halls at the secret site!" An intrigued expression. "So there _is_ a connection between the Dinaurians and that place…"

"Secret site?" Creed repeated, puzzled.

"Oh!" Diggins spun around, suddenly remembering she was there. "Sorry, Creed. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

_What was your first clue?_

"I'll tell you when we get back to Vivosaur Island." He continued down the corridor. "For now, we should be searching this spaceship."

"I'll hold you to that." Creed said dryly, trailing after him as he entered a room.

"Wha-what is this room?"

Somewhat alarmed at his tone, Creed sped up. Not seeing Diggins, she quickly looked around.

_There he is—_a sudden blink. _Is that a statue?_

"A statue of a Dinaurian?" Diggins whispered, standing in front of a large glass panel. Beyond the glass was a uniform line of stone statues, each roughly shaped like a Dinaurian.

The scientist hummed thoughtfully. "Something about this place suggests that it might be some sort of…sacred place for them." His shoulders drooped slightly. "It feels…tranquil in here…" he yawned. "Restful. I know we're in danger on this ship, but I feel like I could lie down and sleep in this room…" Ears drooping, he began to slump to the floor—

"Ow!"

"Explore now, sleep later." Creed growled in annoyance as she dragged the scientist away by his hair.

"Creed, hold on!" Diggins wriggled free of the grip and darted to a machine attached to the glass. Massaging his neck, he examined it curiously. "It looks like some sort of computer." Clawed digits twitching, he leant over the console. "Let me take a look. This may have just the kind of information we're looking for."

_Why do I get the feeling that there's one adult here and it's not him?_ Creed sighed, moving to look around Diggins' shoulder.

"Yes! I'm in!" Diggins crowed victoriously. "And I've configured it to display in English?"

Creed blinked. _Now how did you manage _that_?_

"Okay…let's see what we have here…" Leaning close to the monitor, Diggins scanned over the information. "We have finally found what we've been looking for at the far reaches of space." He read aloud. "This world will fulfill all of the requirements for Project: Mother Planet." He paused a moment and then continued. "The seeds of intelligent life have been planted. Now we simply have to wait for them to grow."

_Oh, this doesn't sound good._

"We shall wait in our fossilized forms in the Stone Sleep Chamber until the time is right. Millions of years from now, we shall be revived, and we shall call this planet home."

_Hoinigen…it's _worse.

"Wha—" Diggins stumbled back, staring at the statues with wide eyes. "Those statues aren't statues. They're sleeping Dinaurians!" A thoughtful pause. "Stone sleep—turning to stone and sleeping the years away." An awed gleam entered cyan eyes. "What an amazing technology." A frown. "But this 'Project: Mother Planet'? And the 'seeds of intelligent life'?" He turned to Creed. "I'm curious, Creed. Let's keep looking."

Creed nodded. "Right.

/\/\

"Here's another computer." Diggins whispered as they entered another chamber. "Let's check it out. We might learn something new." He hunched over the console. "Okay…Configuring it to display in English…" he murmured. Open this submenu here… And let's see what we get…" he leaned back to read the words coming up on the screen.

"We created special computers to coordinate our project," He read, "a main idolcomp and the sub-idolcomps. The sub-idolcomps assist the main idolcomp. As we wait in stone sleep, the main idolcomp will carefully monitor activities on the planet." His brows furrowed. "If any life-forms follow an unanticipated evolutionary path, the main idolcomp will correct them."

_Well that doesn't sound very reassuring._

Diggins leaned back. "Those idols that were stolen…Could those be the sub-idolcomps?"

"That's what Raptin called them." Creed remembered.

The scientist hummed thoughtfully. "Sounds like they're quite important to Project: Mother Planet. In fact, the Dinaurian in the laboratory—Raptin you said?—was talking about their importance in correcting the project." Diggins began pacing back and forth in front of the console. "I gather, then, that the project was failing and the sub-idolcomps were necessary to correct it. Interesting."

"And potentially lethal for us." Creed pointed out, "We need to keep going."

Diggins nodded and they continued on.

/\/\

"When we first came to this planet, the scout ship crash-landed. I wonder where…?" Creed heard one of the Dinaurians patrolling the corridor muse to himself.

_Scout ship?_

"Oh, don't mess with Duna or Raptin." another Dinaurian spoke to his companion. "Those two are agents working directly under King Dynal. They were responsible for collecting the sub-idolcomps, so they're kind of a big deal right now."

"They're still just kids," His companion commented, "and they already have such high ranks…it's kind of scary."

_Why would _kids_ be given so much responsibility?_ Creed wondered with a frown. _That isn't fair to Duna at all._

"Hey!" She twitched as yet another Dinaurian approached her, an excited look on his face. "Did you know—ugh, you reek of humans!"

_Naturally._ Creed sighed. "To much time on the planet's surface I'm afraid." She explained in a faux-sheepish manner. "I haven't had a chance to wash it off yet." A pause. "What were you saying?"

Taking a step back, holding his nose, the Dinaurian continued in a somewhat congested tone. "Did you know that some holography disguises can actually substantiate the image into armor for battle?"

"Really?" Diggins asked, notably staying several feet from the Dinaurian.

A vigorous nod. "I guess the only prototypes are being used by Duna, Raptin, and King Dynal." A disappointed sigh, "Figures." Then he walked away, muttering something about how it wasn't fair.

"Battle armor from the holograms?" Diggins murmured under his breath.

Creed nodded. "I saw Duna use it once."

Diggins looked down at her questioningly.

"She turned into a vivosaur, like Delta in shape, but smaller. She was a formidable opponent." A pause. "This King Dynal…he's probably even stronger." A growing sense of dread built in the pit of her stomach.

"I'd like to see it." Diggins whispered wistfully.

Sighing, Creed shook her head in exasperation and then the two of them continued on, eventually coming to another doorway. As they were about to enter it a passing Dinaurian stopped them.

"Did you guys miss the space memo?" he asked incredulously. "King Dynal has given strict orders to stay out of the idolcomp room! If you get caught going in there, you'll have to deal with the roboguards…the Dinomatons!" A shudder lanced through his frame. "Nobody wants that, so you'd best find somewhere else to be!" he walked off at a hurried pace.

Creed and Diggins exchanged glances.

"Creed, sounds like the room beyond this door is the Idolcomp Room." A pause. "I don't know what will happen when we go in there, but we should be prepared for battle, just in case."

"I always am."

/\/\

A low thrumming sound vibrated through Creed's bones as they entered the large chamber. It sent shivers up and down her spine.

"So _this_ is the Idolcomp Room, huh?" Diggins looked around curiously, noting the difference in lighting and texture compared to the rest of the ship.

_The idolcomps!_ Creed's eyes widened. _They're bigger than before!_ Though they were completely dwarfed by the large grayish pink idol sitting behind them, and it was big enough that Creed could stand on Diggin's shoulders and still not touch the top. It was the source of the odd lighting.

"That big one is probably the main idolcomp." Diggins hypothesized, "and the four sub-idolcomps." He eyed the pedestals with the sub-idolcomps and the main idolcomp in turn. "It doesn't look like anything has been activated yet, though…"

Creed's holographic ear twitched at the sound of claws clacking against tile.

Diggin's spun around, eyes wide. "Someone's coming! Hide!"

"Hey!" Creed yelped as he grabbed her arm and dragged her behind one of the pedestals.

They crouched low as two Dinaurians walked in.

/\/\/\

**A/N**: First off, I would like to humbly thank LonelyUeki not only for coming up with the idea of reverse-engineering the Dinaurian's holograms, but for graciously allowing me to borrow the concept.

Honestly, like with the staff-twirling/hip-shaking dance I decided to take creative license with this plot point. I mean really, a plastic t-rex mask? That's _it_? Does not compute! Does not compute! The Dinaurian's are not stupid, far from it considering the examples we're shown in the game. So a flimsy little mask just would not cut it.

Here's just on example as to _why_ it would not cut it: Tails. Every Dinaurian has a tail. Thus, wouldn't they find it extremely odd and suspicious if they saw a pair of 'Dinaurians' without a tail?

There are plenty of other examples, but I'll let you figure them out if you're interested.

/\/\

**Next Time**:

_Shelter in a storm, warmth against the cold, a firm hand bracing against the current._ Duna reached desperately at the familiar anchor, clinging to it with all her strength. The pressure vanished, she could breathe again. A feeling of safety washed over Duna, making her unintentionally sag with relief.

"What are you doing here?" Dynal demanded suddenly.

Eyes snapping open, Duna's head jerked up to see another, blue-clad Dinaurian standing between her and Dynal.

_Red hair…it can't be…_


	26. Chapter 7: The Revival III

**The Revival III**

"So you have finally recovered all the sub-idolcomps, yes?"

Eyes low, Duna nodded. From the corner of her eye, she saw the taller Dinaurian nod approvingly.

"You have done well, Duna." he praised. "I am pleased."

_Push and pull, soft waves lapping at the ocean's edge. Your triumph is our triumph._

"I was only doing my job, King Dynal." Duna spoke softly, not meeting her king's gaze.

She felt him study her critically, feeling a trickle of confusion coming from him before the Dinaurian king turned and stepped towards the main idolcomp.

"Once the main idolcomp is running, we will be ready to reinitiate Project: Mother Planet." Dynal spoke with satisfaction. "The main idolcomp's regression ray is powerful enough to revert all humans on Earth to single-celled amoebas!"

_Breakers battering at stone, white capped waves engulfing useless life. Fix an error. Destroy the mistake._

Duna flinched.

_Creed._ She thought in dismay, fighting not to cry at the prospect.

Dynal turned back to her. "Duna," he spoke with notable pride, "you have earned the honor of activating the switch on the main idolcomp." He looked up at the ceiling with distant eyes. "Evolution lost its way on this planet," he looked at her again, "but we shall finally correct that, now and forever."

He stepped back, gesturing her forward.

_A gentle current guiding her along, pushing. For our goal, for our _people_._

Unable to disobey, Duna moved to stand in front of the main idolcomp console. One hand hovered over the activation button, and she hesitated.

"You hesitate." Dynal noted, sounding confused. "Activate the switch… Now."

_Water welled, strengthening the current, pulling. Go, for our people the mistake must be dealt with._

Despite the direct order, Duna still could not move.

—"_I would treat you no different."—_

She remembered Creed's words to her.

—"_You aren't evil, you just have different ideals than I do… That's not enough to condone killing in my eyes."—_

_You treated me as a friend._ Duna thought, her heart clenching painfully. _You showed me mercy, when I deserved none…can I condone signing your death warrant?_ Brows furrowed. _No…I…I can't._

She stepped back and turned to her king. "I…I'm sorry. I can't."

The current suddenly receded, leaving a sense of looming danger.

Dynal's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?" Duna shivered at the low growl, but did not back down.

Stepping forward, she looked him in the eye for the first time. "I can't do it. This is wrong." She glanced back at the switch, and then forward again. "I can't bring myself to just flip a switch and exterminate the entire human race."

At Dynal's piercing look Duna wilted but refused to stop. "They are intelligent beings, like us." Her voice rose. "We have no right to just destroy them all and take their planet!" She stepped forward, head high. "Your Majesty, I respectfully request that Project: Mother Planet be shut down!"

Silence. And then—

_A tidal wave's force crashing down on top of her. You defy?_

"You claim that these…descendants of rodents are equal to us?" Dynal hissed, yellow eyes narrow slits against the black mask-design across his face.

In one long stride he was in front of her, his clawed hand reached out and lifted Duna up by the front of her uniform. "Have you lost your senses? Humans are nothing more than an accidental side effect of our real goals."

He dropped her, disgusted. "If you won't remove them, I will. Get out of the way."

_White caps slamming her into rocks, again and again. Coward! Fool! Impudent _child_!_

Duna trembled, breathe vanishing from her lungs. Eyes squeezed shut, she felt herself getting dragged into the current of Dynal's anger. And then—

_Shelter in a storm, warmth against the cold, a firm hand bracing against the current._ Duna reached desperately at the familiar anchor, clinging to it with all her strength. The pressure vanished, she could breathe again. A feeling of safety washed over Duna, making her unintentionally sag with relief.

"What are you doing here?" Dynal demanded suddenly.

Eyes snapping open, Duna's head jerked up to see another, blue-clad Dinaurian standing between her and Dynal.

_Red hair…it can't be…_

"I gave orders—" A pause. "Never mind." Dynal shook his head. "This is perfect timing." He pointed a clawed talon at Duna. "Take this traitor away and lock her in the brig _immediately_."

Familiar aquamarine eyes glanced back at her, and Duna's eyes widened.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Your Excellency." The new Dinaurian spoke calmly.

_Sharp tongues of fiery air lashed out against the raging current, scattering it. I do not follow you, you mean ill against _mine_._

Startled, Dynal stepped back. "What is going on here?" he demanded sharply. "Will you also betray me and your entire species?"

_Ice capped breakers crashed down. Traitor! You betray us all?_

_Fire danced, steam swirling around wildly. I betray no one!_

Duna felt her knees buckle at the clash of two powerful wills. The pressure in the room was almost palpable!

Yellow eyes narrowed as Dynal's nostrils flared. White brows creased. "Ah, I see." He growled. "You are not Dinaurian at all." A low hiss. "You might as well remove your disguise now."

Without breaking eye contact, the other Dinaurian reached over and pressed a button on a device strapped to her wrist. Abruptly pointed ears, tail, and claws all vanished—

"Creed!" Duna gasped, eyes widening. "What are you doing here?

Dynal's hackles rose as he growled viciously and advanced on the human. "A human stowaway aboard our starship? Unacceptable!" Long white hair whipped about as Dynal threw his head back and howled, "Dinomatons! Tear her apart!"

Metal claws flashed.

"Look out!" Duna yelled in alarm.

Creed flipped back as saber-like claws sunk into metal flooring. Landing nimbly on her hands she rolled to her feet and threw out her Dino Medals as the dinomaton guards advanced.

"Kratos! Aero! Ferno!" She bellowed.

A trio of vivosaurs appeared, each blocking one of the dinomatons.

"Turn them into scrap metal." Creed growled. "Anything goes."

Was that a glint of anticipation in the red and black one's gold eyes?

"Death Ray!" Dynal bellowed, clawed fingers tearing at the air.

The dinomatons leapt back, their lethal claws shining as power gathered.

_Fiery winds danced around wildly. Brace yourselves!_

Duna almost stumbled, eyes widening. _It can't be, can she—?_

Blinding light lit up the room as the attack was released. Metal screeched as thick talons dug into the floor for traction. Duna gawked as her eyes regained focus. _They endured the hit!_

The red and black vivosaur lunged forward, blazing teeth sinking deeply into protective armor. Sparks flashed.

"Aim for the blue area at the base of its neck!" Duna shouted. "That's the main reactor!"

The two remaining vivosaurs exchanged glances and lunged forward to join their comrade, tackling the two other dinomatons.

Metal flashed in the corner of Duna's eye.

"Steel Slash!" Dynal hissed, eyes gleaming.

"Creed!" Duna cried in warning.

Blood red claws slammed down. Panic lanced through Duna as she took an instinctive step forward—

"Is that _really_ the best you've got?" Creed purred, crouching atop the entrapped limp.

Muscles tensed, and then Creed shot forward, running along the dinomaton's forelimb. Metal flashed as Creed's pickaxe appeared in hand. Flinging her arm back, Creed _jumped_.

"What?" Dynal hissed in alarm.

Sparks flashed where the sharp blade of the pickaxe pierced the main reactor. Gripping her pickaxe for support while bracing vertically against the metal neck, Creed twisted her tool sharply, ruining the reactor further. The dinomaton whined, and light burst from the damaged area.

An explosion sounded, flinging Creed back from the force. Unperturbed, the Fighter's back arched, arms extended, and she landed in a graceful crouch. Head bowed, she reached out and caught her Dino Medals as her vivosaurs returned, and leaving ragged metal corpses where the other dinomatons had once been.

Duna ran up to meet her as Creed straightened up, slipping her pickaxe back into her sash. Unable to stop herself, Duna lunged, catching the surprised Fighter around the neck in a strong embrace.

"You defeated the dinomatons…" the Dinaurian girl murmured into the taller girl's shoulder. "I was right about you and your species…" Arms wrapped protectively around her shoulders as Creed returned the embrace.

Duna's ears twitched and she suddenly tore away in horror. "Oh, no! The switch!"

"Too late!" Dynal growled over his shoulder, standing in front of the main idolcomp console. "In just a moment the human race will be extinct!" He slammed his fist down onto the activation button.

_No!_ Duna's heart cried in dismay as the machines whirred in activation—

—sputtered, and went silent again.

"I did it!" Duna's head whipped in the direction of the voice.

Another Dinaurian—or was it another human in disguise?—stood next to the far side pedestal, a sub-idolcomp in his arms.

"I managed to disconnect one of the sub-idolcomps!" he laughed.

"What have you done, mammal?" Dynal snarled ferociously, eyes wide in panic. "Do you have any idea how much energy you just released?"

The main idolcomp flashed as sparks danced around it. Dynal quickly stepped back to avoid being caught by the sparks.

"Let's get out of here, Creed!" the disguised human shouted. The sub-idolcomp in his arms flashed and a halo of light engulfed both it and the human. "Huh? What's going on?" Then he screamed as the light intensified and both idol and human _vanished._

"Doctor!" Creed shouted, eyes wide.

"Good riddance." Dynal snorted. "The chronal energy leakage will have sent him to some other point in time."

Duna had to grab Creed's arm to keep her from lunging at the king.

"Wait!" Eyes widening, Dynal looked around frantically. "Where did the sub-idolcomp go?" realization flashed. "That barbarian must have still been holding it! Now I have to track them!" Shoulders rigid, the Dinaurian king turned to the console monitor, tracking the energy leakage.

"They reappeared some 150 million years ago—the Jurassic period!" the console shook as the king slammed his fist down on it. "Blast it!" The wing-like growths protruding from his shoulders arched up as evidence of his fury.

He spun on Duna and Creed, eyes shadowed, red horns gleaming like blood. He pointed a clawed finger at Creed. "Your species may have a temporary respite, but _you_ will meddle in our affairs no longer." Yellow eyes glared fiercely as he took an aggressive step forward. "You're obviously a match for the dinomatons,"

Duna cringed, eyes wide at the crushing tide of _hate, Rend, KILL!_

"so I will have to kill you and the traitor Duna myself!" Light swirled around him as he activated his battle armor.

_We can't fight him!_ Duna wrapped her arms around Creed. "Let's get out of here!" she shouted, activating the teleporter on her pendant. "Back to Earth!"

"Running will not help you, human. You can't outrun your inevitable doom!" Dynal's oath followed them as the ship interior seemingly dissolved.

**Next Time**:

"Can someone explain to me what's going on here?"

"The sub-idolcomp must have been shattered by the trip through time." Duna ground out. "Based on the number of signals we're receiving, it seems to have broken into five fragments."

"So we'll have to collect all five idol fragments?"

_Thank you, Dr. Diggins,_ she spun around and left the office, _I won't let your sacrifice be in vain._


	27. Chapter 8: World in Peril! I

**Chapter 8  
World in Peril! I**

"So," Richmond murmured, head bowed, "Diggins risked his life to save this one…"

Creed stood solemnly in front of his desk, head also bowed, with Duna huddled close to her side.

A weak chuckle. "How like him." He looked at the Dinaurian defector, "Duna, my dear. This plan of the Dinaurians'—Project Mother Planet. Would you explain a little more about that?"

"Of course," Duna nodded, "You should know everything." She hesitated, and then braced against Creed's silent strength. "Project: Mother Planet was a plan to re-create our home planet for settlement. Our home planet was…" She grimaced, looking away as old pain resurfaced, "lost, so we ventured into space with the few survivors that remained."

She started slightly as Creed gently wrapped a comforting arm around Duna's shoulders, holding her close. Feeling empowered, she looked up again. "Our mission was to find a way to re-create the basic environment of our world on a new planet. And so we drew up the plans for Project: Mother Planet." Her breath hitched slightly. "We traveled far and wide and finally discovered a planet suitable to begin our work. That planet was Earth, roughly 600 million years ago."

Beside her, Creed shifted slightly.

"The Cambrian period." Richmond nodded thoughtfully. "When the very first multi-cellular life forms came to exist on Earth."

_Warm winds scoffed skeptically._

_She doesn't believe me._ Duna wilted, ears drooping.

As if realizing the effect she had unintentionally caused, Creed squeezed Duna's arm encouragingly.

"Yes." Duna nodded solemnly. "Multi-cellular life forms planted by us, the Dinaurians."

Eyes wide, Richmond leaned back in his chair. "Come again?"

Duna closed her eyes, the memory fresh on her mind despite how long ago it had taken place.

_She stood staring out the window as countless stars passed by. Beside her, hand on her shoulder, King Dynal watched the same sight._

"_My brothers and sisters," He called out in his strong, deep voice, "we have finally found a suitable planet on which to carry out our great plan." His voice boomed throughout the ship. "Now all we must do is plant primitive life-forms containing Dinaurian DNA…" A pause. "These primitive creatures will be the seeds of intelligent life…and these seeds will recreate the evolutionary path of our world, eventually leading to Dinaurians."_

A powerful current of confidence. Together again. With family again.

_A wistful smile crept across his face. "We will once again be part of a mighty and flourishing race, surrounded by our people."_

_Duna looked up at her king. "But, what if the evolution follows some other path?" She questioned, somewhat worried. "Conditions are different than they were on our world."_

_Dynal looked down at her, eyes soft yet firm. "Don't worry." He assured. _

Water surged up. We will succeed, we will not fail.

"_It is for that very reason that we have built the idolcomp system. The main idolcomp will constantly monitor all life across the planet. If any species takes an…" A slight shrug. _

A white-capped wave engulfing weakness. Flaws will be culled.

"_unprofitable evolutionary turn, the idolcomp will correct it with regression rays. The idolcomp will restart evolution on this planet as many times as required to create Dinaurians."_

_He looked back out at the stars. "As for us, we will wait, asleep in stone…in preparation for that glorious day to come." Another wistful smile. "When we awake, it will be to our planet and its people reborn, completing Project: Mother Planet._

Duna bowed her head. "But the project failed… We awoke 600 million years later from our stone sleep to find not Dinaurians, but you. Humans."

She looked up again. "It turned out that while we slept, we had lost the sub-idolcomps in some sort of accident. Without backups, the main idolcomp had shut down and stopped 'guiding' evolution." She glanced up at Creed. "We tracked the four missing sub-idolcomps here to Vivosaur Island."

"And you hired the BB Bandits to look for them?" Richmond clarified.

A nod. "Correct. We didn't know our way around your society, so we needed human help."

"I see." Richmond folded his arms, somewhat perturbed. "That's…quite a story. To think that all Earth's life-forms came from another planet, planted here by Dinaurians…"

More wisps of incredulity came from Creed, Duna winced slightly.

"'Shocked' doesn't really seem to cover it…But…" his eyes hardened. "That doesn't mean we should allow humankind to be thrown out like some sort of failed experiment!"

Duna nodded vigorously. "I agree completely. But even as we speak," a hint of urgency entered her tone. "King Dynal is working out how to recover the sub-idolcomp. We have to find the sub-idolcomp before he does."

"Then we'll want to head down to the underground laboratory." Richmond decided. "I have sonar tracking equipment there that can display the entire island."

"Understood." Duna said in a military-esque fashion. "Let's go."

They all turned to leave the office when Richmond suddenly spoke again. "I have to know one more thing, Duna. What's going to happen to Rosie?"

It was a little surprising to feel Creed wince, or sense the wisp of shame that suddenly came from her.

Duna turned back to face him. "She'll be fine." She assured. "Raptin's portable regression ray is weak, so the effects should wear off shortly."

Richmond's face lit up and he laughed in relief. "What a relief! A thought struck him. "She may have returned to normal already then!" He looked at Creed. "Creed, would you go check on Rosie for me? We'll be down in the underground laboratory."

Creed nodded and, after silently assuring Duna it was safe to go with Richmond, turned to do as she was asked.

/\/\

Rosie's eyes lit up when Creed entered the room. She ran up and bounced around her, squeaking excitedly like a happy puppy.

Creed bit her lip to smother a chuckle. _I wonder if she realizes she's changed back…_

Rosie continued to squeak for a moment more before she suddenly froze, blinking in surprise.

"Wait, squeak?" she glanced down at herself and abruptly leapt back. "Whoa, whoa…! I didn't even realize I had turned back to normal!"

_Really? Never would have guessed._

"I just kept squeaking out my innermost…" blushing, she spun away from Creed. "Yikes, that's embarrassing!" She turned back. "Anyway, this is not time for small talk, Creed!" her head cocked to one side. "So what happened on the Dinaurians' spaceship? You went with Dr. Diggins, right?"

Creed flinched and related everything to Rosie. By the time she was done, the pinkette had gone very pale.

"So Dr. Diggins was sent back in time to the Jurassic period? That's crazy! And horrible!" She stepped close, eyes wide. "What will happen to him in the past? Did he wind up as a fossil somewhere?"

For some reason, an image of Nick Nack's sandal fossils crossed Creed's mind.

"That's so sad! We can never see Dr. Diggins again." Sniffling, Rosie broke down crying.

Creed started, uncertain of how to respond. A moment later, Rosie stopped crying.

"Ah, that's no good." She declared. "Crying isn't going to get us anywhere." A determined glint entered pink eyes. "Dr. Diggins sacrificed himself for us. The least we can do for him is find that idol before the Dinaurians do."

Relaxing slightly, Creed nodded.

"Grandpa and Duna are down in the underground laboratory trying to find it, right? Let's go!"

_Again with the dragging. This is ridiculous! I _can_ walk on my own._

/\/\

As soon as they stepped into the lab Richmond swept Rosie up in a warm embrace. "Oh, my Rosie! You're human again!"

"Yep!" Rosie chirped, wriggling free and grinning up at her grandfather. "I'm all done squeaking!" her gaze landed on Duna. "Duna, I wanted to thank you for helping us, for taking our side." A sympathetic look entered her eyes. "That can't have been easy for you."

Duna flinched, pause in her interfacing with the console and looked down.

"So have you found the idol?" Rosie asked.

A nod. "We've finished reconfiguring the tracking system." She gestured to the screen. "I'm ready to hit the switch now." She leaned over the console again. "We _should_ be able to find the sub-idolcomp really quickly with this equipment." She pressed the button and everyone crowded around the monitor.

"So the idol's in Greenhorn Plains, huh? Great! Let's go find it!" Rosie turned to dart out of the room but was stopped by Richmond.

"Hold on, Rosie…There's something wrong."

_You've got that right._

Frowning, the pinkette looked back at the monitor. Her eyes widened. "Not just Greenhorn Plains… Knotwood Forest, Rivet Ravine, Bottomsup Bay…_and_ Mt. Lavaflow! It's picking up sub-idolcomp signals in all those areas?"

She spun on Creed with an accusing glare, "I thought you said there was only _one_ idol that got sent back in time with Dr. Diggins?"

_Wisps of angry red and protective orange._ Duna seemed to resist the urge to lunge at the pinkette as the latter advanced on Creed.

"Can someone explain to me what's going on here?"

"The sub-idolcomp must have been shattered by the trip through time." Duna ground out. "Based on the number of signals we're receiving, it seems to have broken into five fragments."

"So we'll have to collect all five idol fragments?" Rosie asked, she turned to Creed. "C'mon, Creed, let's get out there and find those fragments!" Suddenly she went rigid, a shudder running through her frame. "Whoa! I feel…funny. What's going on?"

A poof of smoke, then—

_It's return of Rosie-the-rat._ Creed managed to keep her face neutral. Barely.

Duna leaned forward in fascination. "Apparently excitement still triggers the effects of the regression ray for her." She looked up at the nearly hyperventilating Richmond. "Don't worry. She'll recover again shortly."

Rosie squeaked in dismay.

"Creed, I think it's going to be up to you to look for the fragments."

"Bring all five fragments back here once you find them." Richmond commanded, voice an octave higher than normal. "We'll have to find a way to hide them from the Dinaurians. Our survival depends on it!"

/\/\

—_A sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head. "I kind of went overboard and made a dozen or so last night. Too much coffee I think."—_

Creed swiftly navigated the disaster area that was the office.

—"_Oh, I'll take them apart at some point, but for now they're in my desk." A wry chuckle. "It's full of stuff I haven't dealt with yet, but they should be right on the top since they're the most recent."—_

There they were, just as the scientist had said. Creed quickly snatched up the sonar chips.

_Thank you, Dr. Diggins,_ she spun around and left the office, _I won't let your sacrifice be in vain._

**Next Time:**

"Guhnash…" Duna quivered, suddenly going very still.

_Colors meshed together in a downward spiral, washing out into pained grays._

Creed looked down, concerned, as the Dinaurian began to tremble. "Duna…?"

"The intergalactic scourge that consumed our entire world…" Duna whispered, hugging herself as her entire frame seemed to shrink. Even her ears folded back.


	28. Chapter 8: World in Peril! II

**World in Peril! II**

"And that's my report." Archer finished, setting down his papers. Behind him, Marquis stood at attention.

It was the monthly meeting the Paragon Seeker Branch Administrators had. This time the Knotwood branch was playing host.

_I really don't see why we have to have them so often._ He groaned mentally. _All they're doing is gloating on how many gems they got. Well—_ he glanced at his superior. _All of them except Archer._

"Seems you're in a bit of a slump, Archer." The admin from Bottomsup Bay sniggered. "Usually it's your people that get the most pearls, but you've hardly enough worth mentioning."

Marquis bristled at the slight.

"It doesn't help." Archer returned evenly. "That many of my subordinates are afraid that Creed Peregrine is going to be the one with the Jewel Rock."

A slight shudder lanced up Marquis's spine. It was true after all, especially after they heard news of the Fighter's latest exploits. Ancient vivosaurs, beating _Saurhead_ in a Fossil Battle, she was a common Fighter's nightmare brought to life!

Several of the administrators laughed.

"What? She your own personal boogeyman?" the same admin cackled. "Afraid she's going to jump out of the woodworks just by _mentioning_ her?"

"Says the pot to the kettle."

Everyone jumped.

_I never thought I'd be relieved to see _her_ again._

Leaning against the doorway, Creed Peregrine smirked at the suddenly pale administrators. Archer, Marquis noted, looked quietly amused.

"Creed, it's an honor." The Knotwood Branch Leader greeted politely.

"Archer." Creed dipped her head politely. "I take it you've been well?"

A shrug. "Could be better." A speculative gleam entered gray eyes. "If you'd be willing to assure my subordinates that you will_ not_ jump out of nowhere and hospitalize them."

Creed chuckled. "Only if they persist after they realize it's me."

Marquis' brows furrowed as he looked over the infamous Fighter. She looked…worn, for lack of better term. Worn, much paler than she had last time he had seen her, and…vaguely worried?

_Is something wrong?_ A hint of anxiety formed. _If it's something that makes the strongest Fighter ever known worry…_

"Did you need something, Creed?" Archer asked.

A nod. "I came to ask a favor."

"N-now wait one minute." The Bottomsup Bay admin spoke up. "What gives you the _right_ to come here and demand something of—"

He trailed off as Creed _looked_ at him. Marquis felt a great deal of malicious pleasure at the sight of someone _else_ cowering under the lethal Fighter's gaze.

"What's the favor?" Archer queried, curious. Creed looked back at him.

"I'm looking for fragments of an odd statuette that's been scattered throughout the island. Five pieces to be precise. Greenhorn Plains, Knotwood Forest, Rivet Ravine, Bottumsup Bay, and Mt. Lavaflow. Normally I'd collect them one-by-one but I'm a bit pressed for time."

She strode forward and casually deposited what looked like sonar chips onto the table. "These will let any sonar pick up on the fragment's unique energy field, making it stand out from normal fossils. Would you be willing to help me?"

Archer considered it. "What will you give us in return?"

Marquis, and most of the other occupants of the room, choked. You did _not_ ask someone who could hospitalize you without a second thought—

_She's smiling?_

Creed pulled a large bag out from one of her sleeves—_Odd place to store things—_and tossed it lazily onto the center of the table. "I think this should satisfy you all."

Intrigued, Archer opened the sack and poured its contents onto the table—

_Holy—! Is that a _giant pearl_? I've only _heard_ about those! And is that—it is! A _colossal diamond_ too!_

If the threat of what she could do to them hadn't made up their minds, then the sight of the rare gems that any proper Seeker would give an arm and a leg for _defiantly_ sold them.

/\/\

The clatter of shoes echoing against hard floor made the room's occupants look up quickly as Creed walked back into underground lab. One human, one human-turned-rodent, and one Dinaurian renegade in turn.

"Creed, you have the five idol fragments?"Richmond asked somewhat urgently. Creed smirked.

The interior of her case flashed in the artificial lighting as it was pulled from Creed's sleeve. Richmond's eyes lit up.

"Wonderful!" He carefully removed each piece.

Creed nodded, snapping her case shut and sliding it away.

"I'll put these in safekeeping now, hidden where the Dinaurians will never find them." Richmond assured.

_Water lapped amongst vigilant orange._ "Wait, let me see those." Duna quickly looked over each piece over critically. _A sudden surged of alarmed reds._ "…Something is missing." She stumbled back, eyes wider than usual.

Creed's eyes narrowed and Rosie squeaked in alarm.

"What do you mean?" Richmond asked, a trace of unease crossing his face. "This is all five pieces."

Duna nodded, brows furrowed. "Yes, there are five pieces here," she agreed.

_I hear a 'but' coming…_

"but the sub-idolcomp core processor is missing."

…_Sometimes I hate being right._

The Dinaurian girl looked up sharply. "That means that there's another fragment somewhere…" She hesitated, puzzled and wary. "But we scanned the whole island…." A pause, and then a light flashed behind Duna's eyes as she glanced up. "Mr. Richmond, are there any places on the island that aren't detectable by sonar?"

A thought struck Creed.

"What about that 'Secret Site' you and Dr. Diggins mentioned?" she suggested.

_A current of muddy brown and brown-red confusion accented by faint wisps of questioning pale orange_

Duna blinked. "Secret Site?"

Rosie chirped questioningly.

Richmond nodded thoughtfully. "You mean the Secret Island?"

"Secret Island?" Duna was beginning to sound like a parrot.

Another nod. "Yes." Moving to the computer console, he began inputting commands in rapid succession. "You won't find it looking at any map or chart." He explained as he worked, eyes glued to the screen. "Secret Island is…well…" a moment of hesitation, "it's where we found the crashed spaceship."

_A steady flow of anxious greens abruptly froze over in astonished ice blues._

Duna suddenly went rigid, ears pricking up sharply. "What?"

_Took the word right out of my mouth._

"When we dug up the spaceship," Richmond continued, "we discovered all sorts of advanced technologies inside. We learned to use one of those technologies to reanimate and revive fossils. Yes, the entire fossil revival process is based on a device we found in an alien spaceship."

"Sounds like the Stone Sleep technology Dr. Diggins and I found when we were on the ship." Creed mused, eyes marginally wider than normal.

Richmond straightened up to look at them all. "We were afraid that the technology might fall into the wrong hands, so Diggins and I hid the island." A sly smile. "We used holography to screen the island and jammed all sonar in the area." With a thoughtful look he glanced back at the monitor, "It's entirely possible that the last fragment is there on that island. I'll arrange to power down the screen and get a boat to run from the harbor to Secret Island."

"That might not be a good idea." Creed interrupted. "If you drop the hologram then the Dinaurians might be able to find it."

The white-haired man looked at Creed. "But if I don't then the boat won't be able to reach it."

A shrug. "I can take Mistral, just tell me which direction to go and she'll find it."

A considerate hum. "All the same, the hologram will come down." A sideways glance. "In case there's an emergency and we need to contact you. It's several kilometers south-west of here, you can't miss it."

Creed conceded with a sigh, nodding at the directions.

"A crashed spaceship…" Duna murmured, looking at the far wall with a distant expression. "That must be one of our starships from the original scouting mission…" A curious glint entered slanted eyes. "I'm very curious. I'd like to go see it for myself."

"Mistral can carry both of us easily if you don't mind flying." Creed offered. Duna nodded with a smile.

"Good luck out there, Creed, Duna." Richmond called as the duo left.

/\/\

Creed whistled sharply as her eyes traveled over weather-worn metal. No longer silver due to a thick layer of rust, it partially blended in with the cliff face it had long sense crashed into, though it was still rather conspicuous. Despite being long past its heyday and badly damaged the ship still made for an impressive sight.

"Yes, as I thought." Duna murmured as they entered. "It's a Dinaurian starship."

Sadly, her gaze traveled across the scarred walls. "This is the scout ship that went down during our first expeditions to the planet. It's sort of funny to think that your fossil revival uses technology scavenged from my people…" A wry chuckle. "We entered stone sleep to shape your whole world, and you use it to re-create how it used to be."

Creed sniggered. "A nice bit of irony if ever there was any, eh?"

A sigh. "I guess that's the difference between our peoples, Creed."

"Don't be so sure," Creed cautioned, glancing around as they traveled through the dirt-ridden corridor. "We aren't nearly as different as you seem to think. There are plenty of humans with views not unlike King Dynal and your people. It's only the objects of their ire are different. We are, as you've mentioned before, a rather violent race." A chuckle. "We're walking paradoxes."

Duna tilted her head curiously before shaking it. "Regardless, we need to find the fragment."

A nod. "Right." Something caught her eye. "The patterns on the ground are pulsing, that means there's still power, right? Maybe we should follow the flow and see what it leads to."

"Sounds logical. Actually…" Duna's eyes landed on a moss grown computer console attached to the corridor wall, "would you wait while I check something?"

"Not at all."

_A brief starburst of yellow-green gratitude._

Duna approached the console. "I want to know why this ship crashed." She explained, activating the monitor. "The crew members that escaped to our ship before the crash had no idea what happened." Clawed digits began typing in commands rapidly.

Curious, Creed moved to watch over the smaller girl's shoulder.

"I found the computer's log of what happened when the starship went out of control." She paused, reading the data as it appeared on screen with a thoughtful hum. "I see now."

_Glad one of us does._ Creed thought, eyeing the alien characters.

"Oh, sorry, Creed." Suddenly sheepish, Duna imputed a few more commands, "Let me configure this to your language so you can read it too."

The glyphs blurred and then reformatted themselves into familiar Roman characters.

_Abnormal energy readings detected from sample holding chamber 3A—Guhnash tissue sample._ Creed read, brows slowly furrowing. _Energy spikes have damaged flight systems beyond repair. Per standard emergency protocols, the crew will abandon ship and be teleported to safety…_

"Guhnash…" Duna quivered, suddenly going very still.

_Colors meshed together in a downward spiral, washing out into pained grays._

Creed looked down, concerned, as the Dinaurian began to tremble. "Duna…?"

"The intergalactic scourge that consumed our entire world…" Duna whispered, hugging herself as her entire frame seemed to shrink. Even her ears folded back.

_Gone, everything gone. Family, friends, all dead, eaten. Hurts..._

"He roams the universe, looking for planets with life on them…then he eats them whole." Glassy eyes stared at the wall. "This ship had a small sample of Guhnash's tissue in a holding chamber for research purposes. We hoped we might learn enough from it to find a way to kill Guhnash."

_Pained grays melted to deep dark blues of heart rending grief. Useless, hopeless. Can't fight, can't win, can never win._

"We eventually gave up on that hope. Nothing can kill Guhnash. It's simply impossible—" Duna gasped sharply as warm arms wrapped comfortingly around her.

_Warm winds sang softly, burning away pains and sorrows. Lean on me, you're safe. _

Duna froze at the warm pull, the promise of safety, of _comfort_. It had been so long sense she had felt that, and not the weighing sense of _duty_ and _for the good of our people._ To be held like a child, it brought back memories. _Mother…_

She twisted in Creed's embrace, trying to look up at the other girl—

"It's alright." A soft assurance whispered into her ear.

The dam broke. Duna buried her face against Creed's chest, shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. Creed just stood there silently, holding the distraught Dinaurian and letting her express the pain she had undoubtedly suppressed years ago.

_You were probably swept up in your king's current of purpose and tried to hide your pain. But that's like putting a band aid on internal bleeding or a broken bone, you were still hurting inside._ She thought sorrowfully. _You have much to answer for Dynal._

Creed felt clawed fingers grip through her jacket and shirt as Duna continued to tremble.

_It's strange,_ she mused, hugging the girl all the tighter, _I feel like…a brace, or a keystone in an arch…is Duna relying on _me_ to resist her king's commands?_

She wasn't _entirely_ oblivious to the force-of-will sensation that the Dinaurian king had emanated. A current so much like Glyph's, though it had provoked a similar reaction to that of being in close proximity of Saurhead, an almost painful vibration within her chest.

How painful it must have been for Duna, to break away from it and say _no_. To continue and resist even when her king tried to draw her back in. By all rights she shouldn't have managed to break away at all.

_But you did,_ she thought,_ you defied your king, and tore free from the current… Because of me, perhaps?_

She wasn't completely unaware of the effect she had on her vivosaurs after all. Apparently that effect now extended to Duna as well.

—_Water is different from fire, though both are strong. Glyph pulled on your longing for a stronger master and a goal to strive for…—_ Wasn't that what Chicane had said, so infinitely long ago?

_Like the tribes of old._ Creed mused. _The individual doesn't matter, everything done is for the good of the tribe. One person's victory is the whole tribe's victory. When one person is shamed, they all feel shame._ A glimmer of wry amusement. _Not like wind, or like fire…Fire…is that drew Duna to me?_

—_Ferno pulled on the fires of your pain and rage, the desire to avenge fallen friends, and the resolve to reach that goal at any cost.—_

_Fire…_ Creed almost didn't notice when she began to run her fingers comfortingly through Duna's hair, _strength, power, supporting one another? _She remembered how Ferno had submitted to her._ I was stronger than he was._ She realized._ Like how smaller flames are strengthened by larger ones and, in reverse, embers fly away and start fires of their own…_ A frown, her thought process was beginning to get erratic, there was a point to it all somewhere, she just had to pin it down.

_Water pulls you in mercilessly unless your current is stronger…a 'my way or the high way' kind of mentality. Fire…fire is more like 'come to me, I will protect you and give you strength. You _can_ leave, but you'll be engulfed if you get in my way… _

There! That was the point! Free will, the freedom to make one's own choice. _That's_ what drew Duna in, what gave her strength! Creed had made her stance clear, drew her lines in the sand, but had left room for _compromise._

_Hoinigen, that must have confused her terribly, to have a _choice_ in the matter…_ Barely, just barely, she managed to restrain a chuckle. _Oh Dr. Diggins would _love_ to hear about this…_ Her heart clenched in pain at the reminder of her lost mentor, her lost friend.

"I'm sorry, Creed,"

Creed glanced down as Duna pulled back, still sniffling slightly. "I shouldn't delay our progress any further." She accepted a clean bandanna Creed handed to her, using it to clean her face. "We have to find the last fragment before the Dinaurians discover this place."

She turned and continued down the corridor. Creed followed close behind.

_You've put your faith in me. I'll make sure it's not misplaced. I won't let you down, Duna, I promise._ She swore mentally.

/\/\

"What is this slate?" Reaching down, Duna picked up a dusty stone tablet. _Confusion swished back and forth in muddy browns and brown-reds._ "This shouldn't be here. How strange." She hummed curiously as she looked it over. "It looks like there's something written. It…is in your language. Where did it come from?"

Perplexed, Creed took the proffered slate—

—and nearly dropped it in disbelief as she read the first few lines.

_It's been six months since I found_

_Myself in this dangerous world. It_

_Took all that time to reach this site._

_It was a long, perilous road._

_So perilous, in fact, that I lost _

_my sandals along the way._

_Sandal fossils_…

"I…don't understand." Duna frowned, ear twitching as she glanced up to see the corner of Creed's mouth twitch. "Do you know what this is, Creed?"

"He was here, he was _here._" Creed whispered, fighting, and failing, to restrain laughter.

_Confused colors thickened with wisps of questioning pale orange dashed with traces of concerned dark greens._

"Are you alright?" Duna asked hesitantly as Creed continued to giggle.

"Fine," Creed gasped. "Just fine." Hand over mouth, she turned away, shoulder's shaking. "Give me a moment."

Eventually she got herself under control again, though the whites of her eyes were a little to visible for Duna's comfort. She eyed the Fighter warily a moment before sighing softly.

"I guess it doesn't matter right now. Let's get back to saving your people from mine."

A nod. "Right." A thoughtful look. "And let's see if there are any more tablets."

_/\_

_My first major crisis was with _

_a tyrannosaurus. He scooped _

_me up in his mouth…_

_If my body hadn't been so minty_

_fresh, I have no doubt he would _

_have gobbled me right up. _

_Thank goodness for mint soap._

_/\_

_My next run-in was with an angry_

_Stegosaurus. She must have thought_

_I was encroaching on her territory._

_She waved her big, spiky tail at me _

_like, "swoosh!" and I was like _

"_Aaaaagh!"_

_It's a shame—stegosaurus used _

_to be my favorite dinosaur. I think _

_I'll go with triceratops now._

_/\_

_While trying to cross the bay,_

_I apparently annoyed a_

_plesiosaur._

_Grabbing on his long neck was _

_a mistake. He flung me like a rag _

_doll clear across the bay._

_I survived the splash but drank_

_a lot of seawater in the process._

_It was quite salty._

_/\_

_My biggest dilemma, though, was when _

_the pterodactyl tried to feed me to _

_her babies._

_There I was on their cliff-top nest._

_Trying to jump would have left me_

_flattened on the rocks below._

_So I pretended to be a pterodactyl _

_chick. I hope never to have anyone _

_chew my food for me ever again._

"Just past this door is the starship's main control room."

Creed glanced up from the last tablet.

"I…" Duna hesitated, but pressed on. "don't know what we'll find in there. If you don't feel ready, you might want to go prepare. Or…" she hesitated again. "would you like to go into the control room now?"

"The sooner the better," Creed decided, setting the heavy tablet down and straightening up, "Don't worry, if anything happens, you and I can handle it."

_The anxious current of dark greens faded, mellowing into trusting pale greens._

A smile pulled at Duna's lips. "All right. I'm…" A slightly embarrassed look crossed her face. "glad to have you with me right now, Creed."

Aquamarine softened, and Creed rested a hand on Duna's shoulder. "I'm happy to help you."

A grateful nod. "Let's go."

_This is the largest room yet._ Creed noted. _And the cleanest._

_A stream of confused muddy browns and brown-reds._

"That's a stone-sleep device…" Duna whispered, brows furrowed, perplexed. "Why would it be pulled out here like this?" she eyed the odd, suspiciously clean machine and a stone statue lying prone in the center.

_A starburst of startled oranges._

Duna's ears pricked sharply. "Wait, this isn't a Dinaurian! It's…" she stepped back, eyes wide and hand over her mouth, "a human!"

"What?" Creed took a closer look. Indeed, it looked vaguely like a human, lacking the tail and double jointed legs of a Dinaurian.

"How did a human come to be in stone sleep?" The baffled Dinaurian all but spluttered.

_He didn't…_ A smile strained to form, but Creed kept her expression strictly neutral.

"Hold on…" Duna glanced up at her. "Creed, may I borrow your sonar system?"

Still restraining the relieved smile, Creed handed over the requested item. She watched as Duna scanned the machine, which pinged urgently in response.

"I can't imagine how," Duna breathed in shock, "but it looks like this human is carrying the last idol fragment!" She turned to Creed, almost quivering with excitement as she handed back the tool. "We should bring this stone human back to the Fossil Center for analysis."

Creed nodded, pulling out her case and moving over to the statue—

"Not so fast." A low hiss.

Jerking around Duna's eyes widened as she saw Raptin striding up to them, dinomatons flanking him on either side.

"Raptin!" Duna gasped, shrinking slightly.

Frowning, Creed stepped protectively in front of her.

"So it's true, Duna." He whispered. Tail swishing with agitation, Raptin eyed the younger Dinaurian with a mixed look of disdain, betrayal and sorrow. "You've betrayed the Dinaurians… Your own people." Hackles arched, he took an aggressive step forward. "Now back away. Once I get that core component, we'll be able to reassemble the sub-idolcomp."

Duna stepped out from behind Creed and stood protectively in front of the Stone Sleep Machine, arms spread. "I won't allow you to take the core component." She said firmly. "And I won't allow you to hurt the humans—to hurt Creed!"

Yellow eyes flashed as Raptin hissed with outrage. "You've let yourself be tainted by human weakness." He sneered down at her. "You used to be better than they are, Duna." A disdainful snort. "Pathetic. If you won't see reason, I'll just have to annihilate both of you!"

"Combat holography systems…ON!" Light flared around both Dinaurians as they shouted in unison, "Battle mode…ENGAGE!"

Both Dinaurians collided in a flurry of flashing teeth and gleaming claws.

_Water against wind, Duna's at a disadvantage. Chicane: Help her!_

A flash, and the swift thief dived into the fray, aiding Duna against the larger Dinaurian.

A gleam of metal—

—Creed leapt back as the dinomaton tried to skewer her.

_Kratos! Ferno!_

_A solid landscape of obedient greens splashed with sharp streaks of aggressive red-oranges. Sir, yes sir!_

_Fire roared up in blinding tongues of merciless red-oranges. Burn them all!_

_My thoughts exactly._ Crouched on Kratos's head, Creed smirked as she jabbed a finger sharply at the dinomatons. _Go!_

With powerful forelimbs, the different lizard grabbed hold of the lead dinomaton's claws. Teeth flashed, metal screamed, and the dinomaton's severed head crashed against the far wall. A finishing tail smash, and the body quickly joined it.

_One down,_ Creed turned and glanced at Ferno.

Red-striped-black hide blurred as blow upon blow landed on the dinomaton. Once pristine armor dented and scratched under the onslaught, but it still continued to try and counter strike.

_S-fury._ Creed ordered with a smirk.

_Burning tongues wound together into a raging inferno of roaring reds. Burn to ashes!_

Flames engulfed the automaton as it stumbled back, silver metal heating to burning red.

_S-combo._

Heavily clawed feet cut through protective plating like a hot knife through butter. Sparks flew as the dinomaton stumbled back again—

—and collapsed to the ground, still red-hot.

_Wind danced through vindictive red-orange. Creed, join the fun!_

Glancing back, Creed watched Chicane and Duna double teaming Raptin. They worked well together, but the enemy Dinaurian still succeeded in holding his own.

_Let's see about that, shall we?_ A leap from the armored head, Creed slid down Kratos's spine. Upon reaching his tail-tip, the different lizard jerked the appendage sharply, sending Creed diving at Raptin.

The Dinaurian glanced up just in time for booted feet to collide heavily with the side of his head.

Creed's leg bent until her knee touched muzzle, and then she sprang away, flipping back. Raptin stumbled back, off balance, leaving his torso exposed.

_Sharp wind bit into flawed surface, cutting deeply through hostile dark reds._

Sickle talons sunk deep, claws and fangs bit exposed throat, then Chicane tore away, flipping back.

Raptin flew back, his battle form _shattered_.

The Dinaurian's talons dug into the floor as he skidded back to a slow stop. A sharp gasp, and his leg collapsed beneath him.

"Th-there must be some kind of mistake!" He gasped, clutching his wounded torso. "I was in battle mode!"

_Poisoned._ Creed observed, noting the sickly green substance seeping out from under his arm.

"You….you…" Raptin sputtered half in outrage half in terror, "you _human_! How could I lose to such a flawed organism!" A shudder wracked his body and he suddenly doubled over in a terrible coughing fit.

Beside Creed, Duna's battle mode vanished and the Dinaurian girl stepped forward, eyes pleading. "Raptin listen—humans are different, but not any more 'flawed' than Dinaurians." Raptin gave a gurgling hiss, eyes narrow. "They were born on this planet and they've evolved into real, intelligent life."

_He's not listening._ Creed pitied Duna, fighting a losing battle against one she obviously held dear.

"The idea that Dinaurians are the only worthwhile beings in the universe is narrow-minded, dangerous thinking."

"No!" Raptin shook his head in denial, a furious growl escaping him. "Humans were an accident, a side effect of our evolutionary experiments gone wrong!"

_A maelstrom of fearful greens clashed with jagged streaks of dark red denial and anger._

He forced himself to his feet and stepped back, still clutching his torso. "You don't befriend your mistakes! You learn how not to make them again and start over from scratch!"

Raptin shook his head viciously. "No matter how you fight against it, you can't stop the inevitable doom of humankind!" Another coughing fit. "No creature as flawed as that can survive for long!"

Duna flinched back, an agonized wave of _he doesn't believe me_ washing over her.

Hissing in fury, Creed took an aggressive step forward, growling dangerously at the injured dinaruian. She mentally grasped the leaking wisps of _not true, hate them all, _and _yanked_. Raptin stumbled and Creed loomed over him, eyes sharp.

"Petulant fool!" She snarled, as Raptin stared up at her with wide eyes. "Go back to your master, you mindless thrall!"

Whimpering, Raptin stumbled out of the room.

_A downward spiral of pained grays and other washed out colors. Alone, hurts, pain._

Creed turned to see Duna hugging her arms around herself tightly, yellow eyes squeezed shut to hold back tears. "One day, Raptin," she whispered, "I hope you and King Dynal will be able to see past your own DNA."

Compelled, Creed moved forward and pulled the other close. Duna rested her head against Creed's chest, basking in the warm sense of _comfort_ that was offered. Distant eyes stared blankly at the wall.

"There are probably other Dinaurians on the way." Duna murmured in a hollow tone. "Let's get back to the Fossil Center with the stone human."

"Alright."

**Next Time**:

"Hey, Grandpa!" Rosie greeted with a grin. "Creed got the last fragment! Great news, huh?"

"Great news, indeed!" Blue eyes bright, Richmond nodded in satisfaction. "Not that we ever had any doubt about Creed's abilities! Now…" A pause. "Can I ask you to assemble all the parts back into the complete sub-idolcomp?"

_Fix it, put it together, repair the damage caused._

Marginally, Creed's eyes narrowed. _Wait a minute…_


	29. Chapter 8: World in Peril! III

**World in Peril! III**

"To retrieve the last fragment, we'll need to revive this human." Duna explained, studying the fossilized human with a critical eye. "Since this equipment is based on Dinaurian technology, I'm confident that I can operate it." She shook her head with a sigh. "Unfortunately, the stone-sleep device wasn't calibrated for human use, so this specimen is…unusual."

Creed chuckled. "Yeah, he has a knack at that."

Duna glanced at her curiously before continuing. "It looks like there's an extra coating of stone that we'll need to remove." She glanced at Creed again. "Creed, you're the most skilled fossil cleaner here. Would you clean the stone human?"

"I'd be insulted if anyone _but_ me had the honors." Creed smirked. "I can also handle the equipment as well if needed."

Duna nodded and the two of them wrestled the heavy statue into the cleaning chamber and Creed set to work clearing away the outer most shell. With this one, she was even more meticulous than she had been with the Ignosaurus fossil. All the same, before long the fossilized figure of Dr. Diggins became visible.

Once all the excess stone had been cleared away, Duna activated the revival machine.

Hard stone skin shattered, revealing darkly tanned flesh underneath. Cyan eyes opened blearily.

"Dr. Diggins?" Duna gasped as the scientist sat up dizzily. "Of course! He was sent back in time to the Jurassic period!" She turned to Creed. "You knew?"

A soft smile rested on Creed's face. "I hoped. I did not wish to believe him gone for good, so I hoped and prayed that he found a way to survive."

"Creed?"Diggins murmured, still blinking owlishly. He let out a jaw-cracking yawn. "And Duna? And…" He continued to look around, eyes slowly coming back into proper focus. "This…this is the Fossil Center!"Cyan eyes brightened. "I'm back!" With a surprisingly spry twist, he leapt out of the revival chamber—

—and promptly lost his balance as his legs collapsed under him. Duna and Creed quickly grabbed his shoulders and held him upright.

The scientist looked at them both and laughed joyously. "I'm back in my proper time!" He grinned at them, eyes alight. "This is like waking up from a nightmare…"

_I'll bet._ Creed thought, recalling the tablets back at the ship ruins.

"I went from the starship to the Jurassic period in an instant! I was sure I would die there, long before I was even born, but then I remembered…" Slowly, he straightened up, testing his legs though still leaning against the pairs supportive shoulders.

"I remembered the crashed starship that only Mr. Richmond and I knew about. I hoped desperately that I might find stone-sleep technology inside the ship. So I set out to find the ship. It was a long and extremely difficult journey."

Duna looked him up and down with a groan. "Yes, we can tell by looking at you."

Creed sniggered behind a politely risen hand. The scientist certainly looked none-the-worse-for-wear. His hair was, if possible, even messier than usual and his lab coat and Hawaiian shirt had been replaced by—

Another snigger.

—an animal hide toga.

_He really _does_ look like a cave man._

Diggins nodded vigorously, eager to tell his tale. "First, I ran into a hungry tyrannosaurus that scooped me up in his mouth and…"

"I would love to hear about your adventures," Duna cut in quickly, "some other time."

Shoulders drooping, Diggins pouted and Creed was hard-pressed not to start giggling again.

"For now, let's concentrate on the idol fragment."

Diggins perked up again. "Oh, right…" he glanced down at the tiny white sphere clenched in his callused fist. "I've got it," A proud grin. "I held onto it tightly the whole time." Holding it out, he dropped it in Creed's hand.

"Creed, would you take that over to Mr. Richmond?" Duna asked as she stepped over to the scientist. "I'll be right over after I explain everything to Dr. Diggins."

A nod. "Have fun, see you two in a bit." She turned, and quickly vacated the Fossil Center.

/\/\

"Welcome back, Creed!"

Creed stumbled back, gripping the doorway to maintain balance, as the smaller form collided with her middle.

"Rosie!" she gasped, "Back to your old self I see."

The pinkette leapt back, twirling on her foot. "I think I've finally kicked my mouse-transformation habit." She chirped. "So, do we have all the idol fragments now?"

Smiling slyly, Creed held out the final piece.

A small fist beat the air victoriously. "That's great!" she laughed, "You beat the Dinaurians to all of them! Let's give it to Grandpa so he can hide it away where _nobody_ will find it."

Footsteps behind her, Creed glanced back. _Speak of the devil._

Richmond walked in.

"Hey, Grandpa!" Rosie greeted with a grin. "Creed got the last fragment! Great news, huh?"

"Great news, indeed!" Blue eyes bright, Richmond nodded in satisfaction. "Not that we ever had any doubt about Creed's abilities! Now…" A pause. "Can I ask you to assemble all the parts back into the complete sub-idolcomp?"

_Fix it, put it together, repair the damage caused._

Marginally, Creed's eyes narrowed. _Wait a minute…_

"Wait…" Rosie echoed vocally, cocking her head. "If you're going to hide it, why would you need to have it assembled?"

"Because we…" Richmond fumbled for words, "Uh…won't know if…if…there are any missing pieces until we assemble it! Yes, that is it!"

_Just a precaution, nothing more. Can't have any more mistakes, can we? Nothing to concern yourself about._

Rosie nodded considerately. "Okay, I guess you're right, but…" She trailed off, still looking hesitant, and then she shrugged it off. She looked up at Creed, who looked to be deep in thought. "Okay, Creed. Let's assemble the fragments."

"Right." Creed nodded. They moved to the shelf and lay all the pieces out on display. Creed grimaced. "This is just like one of those 3D puzzles…"

Rosie giggled, "Let's get to work!" she grabbed two random pieces and tried fitting them together.

They didn't work.

Biting her lip, Rosie grabbed two other pieces with the same result. Bristling, she puffed up at the pieces with a growl. Creed quickly took the pieces from her and gently nudged her away from the table.

"Let me try, okay?" she suggested.

Rosie sniffed and looked away, sulking.

Creed shook her head. _ Such an impatient child._

One by one, the pieces were brought together once more.

_An automatic repair system…_ Creed noted curiously as the pieces fused back together once put in the proper order. _Interesting… Oh! It's back to its smaller size again, wonder how it grows anyway…_

However, while she was busy adjusting each piece, her mind was actually focusing on the faint wisp of colors she could _just_ pick up on the edge of her senses. To vague for her to identify, they furthered a suspicion that was forming in her mind.

"Hey! This piece goes there!" Rosie plucked one of the pieces and attached it to the statue. Creed blinked at her interference, but said nothing.

"Yay!" Rosie crowed. "The idol is back together, with no missing pieces! We found all of them!"

Creed felt the faint colors darken.

_Dark anticipation accented by disdainful red-violet._

_I knew it._ "Hey Rosie," she began casually in a low voice. The pinkette glanced up questioningly. "Do you remember that fable 'The Cat and the Birds'?"

"Yeah, why—" Pink eyes widened in realization as the color drained from her face.

"Are you certain?" Richmond stepped closer, eyeing the idol intently. "Let me see—"

A blur of motion. A flash of red hair and blue cloth, a bone jarring _crash_ as the man crashed abruptly into the wall, hard. White suit flickered, turning dark blue for a fraction of a second before flickering back, pale skin momentarily shifted to blue-gray and then back as the imposter gasped for air.

Retracting her outstretched leg, red hair whipping about, Creed spun on Rosie.

"Run!"

Rosie dashed out the door, Creed grabbed the idol and followed just as the hologram shattered and King Dynal snarled after them, eyes alight with fury.

_Run, have to run!_ Creed overshot Rosie as they flew up the stairs back to the building lobby.

A whir and a hiss—

"I-I can't move!" Rosie cried, crashing into the floor.

_Rosie!_ Feet slid across tile floor as Creed turned back—

"No! Keep running!" Rosie yelled as Dynal appeared at the door and leveled his gun at Creed.

Metal flashed, Creed kicked out as hard as she could. Her fossil case collided with the Dinaurian king's clawed hand. The gun crashed into the wall, dropping to the floor as it threw up sparks.

She ran.

Out the door, into the street.

_Mistral!_

_Wind surged wildly amidst a maelstrom of terrified dark greens and determined red-oranges. We fly!_

Gentle talons gripped her shoulders and Creed was yanked from the ground. A flap of mighty wings and they were soaring over the roof of the guild center—

—A scream tore through Creed's throat as her leg exploded into pain. Something dragged downwards and then was brutally torn out, amplifying the pain. Pain hazing over her vision, Creed glanced down to see Dynal land on the building roof, blood dripping from his claws.

He glared after her, and then vanished from sight.

_Wind spun and twisted through anxious greens. Creed!_

_I-I'm fine!_ Creed managed. _To Rivet Ravine, quickly!_

/\/\

_A whisper of wind whirled amidst sorrowful dark blues and concerned dark greens. Creed…_ Mistral crooned helplessly.

"It's just a scratch." Creed ground out through grit teeth as she kept applying pressure to her still-bleeding leg.

_A skeptical gust. Rolling currents of disbelieving dark blues. It is a very _deep_ scratch._ Chicane huffed as he began, with surprising dexterity, to wrap bandages tightly around the gash. Despite his attitude, Creed could feel the subtle waves of concern emanating from him.

Dynal's blow started just below her knee and had dragged down to where it had been torn out, at the ridge of her foot just below her ankle. It cut deep into her calf, sending sharp bursts of pain up the entire leg.

"All the same, I'll mend." Creed grimaced. "I'm just lucky he didn't hamstring me or cut the Achilles tendon."

The vivosaurs winced. That _was_ a blessing.

_Wind spiraled together into a growing wind tunnel of malicious dark reds and jagged blacks. He _hurt_ you, he _must_ pay._ Chicane hissed as Creed took over with the bandages.

"Easy there," She rebuked softly, "don't get ambitious on me, if we get the chance, he will pay. But, until then, let's just focus on avoiding the Dinaurians…maybe even find someplace to hide this thing while we're at it."

Tightening the bandages with one last _yank_, Creed tied them off and wobbly climbed to her feet. Careful to keep weight off her injured leg, she leaned against Chicane for support.

"Mistral, would you go up and keep watch above the ravine?" Creed looked up at the feathered serpent. "We need every advantage we can get if we want to avoid them, and I don't think they know we can communicate nonverbally."

_A flurry of wind and starbursts of consenting pale green. I fly._

Dirt picked up with the sudden gust, and then the feathered serpent was gone, leaving Creed alone in the cave with Chicane.

With a soft trill, Chicane maneuvered Creed onto his back and the cautiously left the cave they had taken refuge in. A slowly drying puddle of blood was the only sign of their passing.

/\/\

It was slow and treacherous going. In fact, had it not been Mistral's keen eyes they would have been ambushed at least a dozen times. They crouched low behind a ledge, as another duo of Dinaurians passed by.

_This is ridiculous…_ Creed groused mentally as they waited for them to vanish around a bend before slinking away in the opposite direction. Chicane bobbed his head in concurrence. _We need someplace to hide…_

_A faint whisper of wind through hopeful yellows. I think I have found such a place._ Mistral sent.

Fighter and vivosaur perked up at the news. _Really, Mistral? Where?_

_The wind reeled through hesitant blues. It is in one of the cavern walls, I had to pass over almost a score of times before I could be sure it was actually there._

_A sharp gust whipping amidst questioning pale oranges. Is it defensible? _Chicane queried.

_Wind swirled in a lingering spiral of considerate oranges. I believe so; it is high up and can only be seen from above._

_A determined gust through aggressive and determined red-orange. I will check it out, Creed, stay here and hide._ The swift thief glanced back at his Fighter.

Amused, Creed nodded her consent and slid off the swift thief. Without another word, the small raptor slid off like a silent shadow, leaving Creed in the narrow crevice.

_Something's…off…_ Creed thought as not five minutes later she was flattening herself against the wall to avoid being seen by another patrol. _I don't know what…_ She cautiously peered around the wall._ But there's something…_

Gravel crunched.

_A solid current of hostile dark reds against a background of loathing burgundy and violet._

Creed spat dirt, pain blossoming between her shoulders from where the blow had landed. Body trembling, she tried to push herself up—

A clawed foot slammed down, pinning her against the ground as her assailant loomed over her. Stunned, she could not move as he tore off her backpack to retrieve the idol.

The cloth material hit the ground a few feet away, carelessly tossed to the side.

Clawed fingers gripped her hair, yanking her head back painfully.

"Your end draws very near," Dynal hissed maliciously, "You have no more tricks… No more daring feats…" fangs gleamed, "Enjoy your last few moments as a multi-celled life form."

He slammed her head down, and white exploded across her vision.

**Next Time**:

Dinomatons stepped out of the shadows, surrounding them. The human's eyes glanced over them, but otherwise had no reaction.

Smile turning predatory, Dynal stepped forward. "Everything has built to this moment, when the two of us shall determine who will take ownership of this world!"

Light flashed as Dynal's back arched and he roared, long white hair whipping about as his battle armor activated.


	30. Chapter 8: World in Peril! IV

**World in Peril! IV**

Black, everything was dark, detached. A suspended sense of vertigo.

_Ow…_

Sleep seemed wonderful. Just let the pain fade away.

A memory of pink. _"You saved me, Creed."_

_Rosie…?_

A flash of gray-blue skin, yellow eyes filled with gratitude_. "I'm…glad to have you with me right now, Creed."_

…_Duna?_

"_Enjoy your last few moments as a multi-celled life form."_

_Dynal._

Danger, everyone was in danger. She couldn't go to sleep now. She had to get _up_—

—Pain burst through her back and head, halting any further movement.

_A screaming gale of terrified greens. Creed! Please wake up!_

A hot blast of air across her hair. _Chicane?_

_An updraft of warmth, relieved yellow overshadowing green. You're okay. You have to wake up! The Dinaurian took the idol!_

_The Dinaurian took the idol_

_Took the idol_

_The idol_

Like a deafening echo.

_No!_

Suddenly the pain felt irrelevant, distant.

Creed pushed herself up, vision hazed in a red fog. She wiped the blood out of her eye and sat up. For one long moment she sat there, eyes closed, as she reoriented herself. A blink, her eyes sharpened dangerously.

"Mistral," the feathered serpent trilled, "take us back to town."

/\/\

Screams, laser fire, the sound of tearing metal.

Dynal's ears twitched.

Heavy, booming steps resounded throughout the chamber. The moan of an injured Dinaurian as a smaller vivosaur dropped him carelessly on the ground and moved on.

The wing-like protrusions on his back arched slightly as Dynal bowed his head, eyes closed. "In my wildest imaginings, I never thought you'd make it here, human." He looked back gazing up at the battered and worn human, perched fearlessly atop a massive blue and white monster. "I admit that I am…impressed."

Arms crossed and back stiff, she glared down at him.

"The sub-idolcomp has already completed its auto-repair cycle and has been installed in the system." The king continued casually. "The main idolcomp is ready and waiting." Clawed hand reached back and hovered over the activation switch. "All I have to do is flip the switch…and regression rays will rain down on your planet, removing humans from your world's evolutionary story."

The other vivosaurs flanking the human hissed and snarled, their hackles arching. The air around the human visibly seemed to darken as aquamarine narrowed dangerously.

"But in order to protect your people, you will have to defeat me, mightiest of all Dinaurians." A dry chuckle. "Here I stand, fighting for the revival of my long-lost world…you against me, striving for the survival of your species."White head inclined slightly, a slight, sardonic smile forming. "I would say we both have sufficient reason to fight to the very end."

Dinomatons stepped out of the shadows, surrounding them. The human's eyes glanced over them, but otherwise had no reaction.

Smile turning predatory, Dynal stepped forward. "Everything has built to this moment, when the two of us shall determine who will take ownership of this world!"

Light flashed as Dynal's back arched and he roared, long white hair whipping about as his battle armor activated.

/\/\

Pressure, even greater than Saurhead's, weighed down on Creed, making her limbs feel like lead and stealing the breath from her lungs.

Bracing, she stood rigid, countering it as best as she could while protecting her team.

Sheglanced at her vivosaurs, who seemed uncertain. _Delta, Aero, Chicane, Ferno, Firma, Torrent: Deal with the dinomatons. Acryl, Eli: Support them as best as you can._ She glanced down at Kratos. _We'll deal with the king._

_Vigorous reds and aggressive red-oranges. Sir, yes sir!_

Twelve meters of solid muscle, the spinosaur-like Dinaurian roared and lunged.

The pressure amplified as the two theropods clashed. Creed dropped to her knee, both from the pressure and to keep from flying off. She squeezed her eyes shut as the world faded out of focus.

_A raging current, like a tsunami, growing and growing in brutality. A malicious wave of raging dark reds and jagged blacks, tied together by contemptuous red-violet. Fall. Submit! _

Creed gasped, clenching the sides of her head as another impact shook Kratos's frame.

_A rogue wave collapsing down, slamming her against rocks. Unyielding red-orange flashed through the maelstrom. Slay, slay them all, DIE!_

The force of absolute loathing made her head feel as if it would burst. She clung to the riverbank, fighting the drowning current. The raging wave of _hate_ tore at her agonizingly.

_No!_ She shot back, tearing her hands from her head, _Will _not_ submit! I will _win!

_I wonder if anyone's ever seen the Dinaurian King stumble before._ She wondered with detached amusement.

Wide yellow eyes landed on her as a wave of astonishment flared out from the Dinaurian. Seeing weakness, Kratos struck.

The startled king was broadsided by Kratos's powerful tail. Crashing heavily to the ground, his battle-form flickered. With a snarl he glanced up with bared teeth—

—just in time to see Kratos ram his massive shoulder's down like a multi-ton sledgehammer.

The hologram shattered under the force. Creed watched the Dinaurian king quickly roll away to avoid becoming a smear on the floor.

Rust-red claws flashed, catching Creed in the middle and flinging her off her vivosaur.

_This is new…_Creed mused sardonically as she reached the apex of her inopportune flight, thankfully just shy of the ceiling.

Hard ground coming up fast, Creed _twisted_. Feet struck metal floor as she skidded back. Metal screeched against metal as Creed drove her pickaxe into the ground as a makeshift brake.

An abrupt halt, Creed straightened up—

—the world swam. Her leg collapsed. Creed doubled over the metal handle, fighting to stay conscious against the sudden wave of vertigo.

Bypassing the sensation, Creed straightened up again, panting heavily as her head throbbed. Glancing up she saw Kratos dispatching the offending dinomaton.

_Wait,_ her eyes widened,_ where's—_

_A towering bloody wave of crashing kill, kill, _kill!

A blur of blue and gray. Creed's back was slammed into the wall. Air intake was abruptly cut off as talon-tipped fingers constricted around her vulnerable throat. Stunned, Creed blinked stars out of her eyes.

Dynal glared down at her, his claws digging in painfully as he lifted her bodily off the ground.

"Die, mammal!" he hissed.

_Raging hurricane of infuriated dark red accented by terrified dark greens. Creed!_ Chicane sent, lunging at the Dinaurian king.

A metal claw slammed down, cutting off his lunge mid-action. Dynal's eyes flickered in the swift thief's direction—

"Oomph!"

He stumbled back, clutching his stomach. Creed fell to the floor with a sharp gasp but refused to give him a chance to recover. Leaping forward in a dropkick, both feet caught the Dinaurian squarely in the chest.

A winded grunt, the king crashed painfully onto his back. Gasping for air, he tried to get back up.

At the touch of cold metal against his throat, he froze. Slowly, eyes widening, he followed the length of the pickaxe blade to meet hard aquamarine eyes.

Utter despair filled him. _I failed_…

Slowly, he fell back, exposing this throat in defeated submission. In the background, he could hear the remaining dinomatons being dispatched by the human's vivosaurs.

_My race, my _people… _I failed them all… They're all going to die…_

Resigned, Dynal closed his eyes and let his body go limp, and waited for the killing blow. The sharp point dug painfully into his throat.

"I win." The human declared smoothly.

"Just…get on with it."

Tension through the metal. He braced for the sharp bite of metal and cold numbness of death—

—wait.

_Wh-what?_ Yellow eyes snapped open and stared up in astonishment and disbelief as sharp metal _pulled away_.

The human stared down at him impassively, studying him a long moment before turning her back to him and limping over to her vivosaurs.

Too stunned to think properly, Dynal pushed himself up onto his elbows to stare at the human with utter bewilderment.

_Why?_ He wondered. _Why didn't she finish me?_

"I prefer to show mercy to my enemies, rather than strike them down."

Dynal started. Had he said that out loud?

"I can feel your confusion from here." Was the matter-a-fact response.

_That's right,_ Dynal realized, _she has the same empathetic abilities as a Dinaurian!_ He remembered the sudden, unexpected retaliation from the human that had startled him into dropping his guard.

"Return to your feet, Excellency, what need have we to fight now?"

Compelled, Dynal hesitantly did so.

Back still to him, the human returned most of her vivosaurs to their medals before kneeling to the one that had tried attacking him. It still lay where it had been crushed by the dinomaton.

Tenderly, she pulled its head onto her lap.

_A warm caress. You did well, Chicane. Rest now._

Dynal's eyes widened as he felt the echo of empathy directed at the vivosaur.

No longer blinded by his rage, he could feel the compassion and strength in the girl's signature. So similar yet so different from his own, like a warm fire providing comfort or a roaring blaze of fury. How could he have misjudged the humans so badly?

_Now_ he could understand why Duna had reacted as she had! This human offered strength and protection, _comfort_, in her signature. There was no a demand for total obedience, yet at the same time commanded it effortlessly! So different from the way he influenced his own subordinates.

"Human…" his voice was hoarse. "Your name is Creed, correct?"

The human turned back to him, leaning heavily on one leg. She nodded. "It is."

"I confess that I have learned from you." This was…a lot easier than he thought it would be. "Through you I have seen a part of humankind I was not aware of." He stepped towards her, a look of respect in his eyes. "Your people are strong, tenacious. I have never seen a species with such determination. No matter the odds, you will stand against any opponent…brave." a soft chuckle, "Our people did not evolve as differently as I first thought. You may one day even surpass us."

"Creed!" the human jolted and twisted around. "Are you okay?"

A blur of pink and blue, and Creed stumbled back as the smaller Dinaurian descended on her. Just barely, she managed to retain balance and awkwardly return the embrace.

"Duna."

The Dinaurian glanced up, alarmed, gripping Creed tighter as Dynal addressed her.

"I owe you an apology." Ears pricked up in surprise. "You saw the humans' potential long before I could." Dynal leaned forward in a remorseful bow. "and I thank you for that."

Though surprised, Duna still dipped her head, returning the bow. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Dynal watched his youngest subordinate grip Creed tightly, and almost hated himself for what he had to say next. "We still must find a home world, however, so we shall once again venture into space…" his head tilted back as he stared at the ceiling. "and resume our long search for another planet to make our own—"

"You, don't need to leave." Creed disagreed softly.

Startled, Dynal looked at her sharply, eyes wide. "What do you mean by that?"

A small smile formed as Creed gripped Duna tighter and realization struck the Dinaurian king. "Are you suggesting that we Dinaurians could live here on Earth with your people? That Dinaurians and humans could walk side-by-side, here on this planet?"

A nod. "Though, it will not be easy, I believe it is possible. We humans have been waiting to meet people not of Earth for generations."

_A place to stay, she's asking _us_ to _stay_._ "I'm shocked, to be honest." Dynal breathed, hardly able to believe what he heard. "I'm shocked that there are beings capable of such generosity." He bent his knees, extended his arms, and bowed his head. "On behalf of my people, I accept your gracious offer of hospitality."

He sensed more than saw a slight wince come from the brave girl as he straightened up again. "Our two species have much to teach each other, and I look forward to beginning that instruction."

Duna stared at him, eyes wide with such _hope_, an emotion he had not seen from her in so long. Creed seemed to swell up with joy, her eyes almost glowing.

"Have you lost your mind?"

A start, Dynal spun to see Raptin, standing before the console, staring at him in open faced horror.

"Am I the only one left thinking rationally?" The young Dinaurian demanded. "This is madness!" A sharp claw pointed accusingly at Creed. "Humans are primitive beasts unworthy of the planet we _accidently_ gave them!" he spat. "They're a mistake with delusions of grandeur! And I will be the one to correct that mistake!"

Duna ran towards him. "Raptin!" She pleaded, "Stop!"

Dynal straightened and advanced. "I command you to stop, Raptin!"

Creed shot forward, trying to intercept the Dinaurian.

Raptin _ignored_ Dynal's orders and slammed his claws down on the switch. "At last!" he hissed. "All humans on Earth below are about to become so much protoplasm!"

A loud whir, then a long pause—

"Circumstances are now such that we cannot maintain our silence any longer."

_Everyone_ jumped.

"Who said that?" Raptin hissed in alarm, frantically looking.

"We are the devices that you refer to as sub-idolcomps." A second voice informed.

As one, the room's occupants looked up at the pedestals. Each sub-idolcomp's optics were lit and seemed to be staring down at them.

"The AI brain of the sub-idolcomps?" Raptin realized, then he grinned viciously. "Perfect! Listen—make the main idolcomp fire the regression rays!"

"Your request is unreasonable." The third sub-idolcomp refused. "We cannot comply."

"What?" Raptin slammed a foot against the ground and snarled at the machine. "That's the purpose of the main idolcomp!" His voice rose several octaves as hysteria seemed to creep in. "To use regression rays to correct flawed evolution!"

"You are correct." The fourth sub-idolcomp agreed. "The idolcomp system was built to use regression rays to correct flawed evolution."

"But," the first took over, "_only_ for evolutionary branches originating from the 'seeds' planted by the Dinaurians."

"For this reason," the second continued. "the main idolcomp will not be activated, and the regression rays won't be used."

"But that's absurd!" Raptin snarled, tearing at his hair, "You must be missing data!"

"No, _you_ are missing data." The third retorted. "The humans are not what you think."

"Humans did not evolve from the 'seeds' planted by the Dinaurians." The fourth informed in a flat tone.

Dynal couldn't help himself. "_What?_"

"The Dinaurians planted the 'seed' life-forms in the ocean during the Cambrian period." The first said quickly.

"Unfortunately," the second sounded apologetic, "they all perished a few thousand years later."

"All further evolution sprung forth from life that already existed on the planet." The third finished.

"So," Duna stepped forward hesitantly. "that means that our revival project didn't spawn any of Earth's current life-forms…" she sounded torn between relief and dismay.

"Correct," the fourth agreed. "Every living creature on this planet was born and came to be quite naturally."

"And of course that includes humans as well." The first seemed to grin at Creed, though that was its default expression.

Dynal stepped back, eyes distant. "So Project: Mother Planet failed from the very beginning. And," he swallowed, suddenly beginning to feel sick, "in our arrogance, we were going to wipe the humans out of existence and start over…" They, _he_, had almost authorized the _murder_ of _innocent_ people.

"We too were surprised at first." The second said sympathetically, "Our programming was not designed to cover such an eventuality."

"We considered the problem, then reconsidered and reconsidered before arriving at our answer." The third continued.

"We decided to do nothing. We would simply observe and protect these life-forms." The fourth finished.

"But…" the first began. "The main idolcomp reached a different conclusion."

"The main idolcomp decided to destroy all life on the planet." The second informed gravely.

"But…how?" Dynal stepped forward again, at a loss. "The main idolcomp isn't equipped to destroy anything, only regress its evolution." A pit of dread was beginning to take form in his stomach.

"Correct." The third agreed. "Since the main idolcomp was unable to carry out this goal, it began to broadcast signals."

"It sent these signals to the one force that it knew was capable of annihilating an entire planet." The fourth continued.

_No,_ Dynal shook his head in denial, praying it wasn't true.

"No… _No!"_ Duna whispered, going very pale. "You _can't_ mean…?"

"Guhnash." The first whispered.

A tremor lanced through the three Dinaurians.

"As you know," the second began, "if Guhnash were to come to this world… Every living thing would be consumed, along with the planet itself."

"It was at this point," the third took over, "that we sub-idolcomps disconnected ourselves and escaped from the starship."

"Without us to regulate it," the fourth continued, "the main idolcomp was forced to shut down, and it stopped sending signals."

"But now," the first shivered, "with its power restored."

"The main idolcomp has successfully broadcast the last required signal." The second finished.

"Guhnash now has the coordinates to reach Earth…" the third said solemnly. "and consume it."

"This will be the end of all life on this world." The fourth said regretfully.

"So…" Raptin began bleakly, looking back at his king, his face ashen. "I've just summoned the monster," he backed up, "the catastrophe," his back touched the main idolcomp, "that ate our entire planet…?" He looked from face to face, eyes wide. "I…I didn't mean….I never intended for this to happen! I just wanted…" he slumped limply to the floor, eyes sliding out of focus, "to help my people…"

Dynal backed up, Duna and Creed turned to him and he turned away in shame. "Look at what we have done in our vain arrogance…" his ears drooped and his shoulders sagged. "We have brought the same terrible fate on this planet that befell ours. We have failed," his legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees, "utterly."

**Next Time**:

_Dark tendrils reached out, almost curiously, like grasping tentacles. We are Guhweep, Guhvorn and Guhlith._

Creed's shoulders went rigid as she straightened up, eyes fierce. _I am Creed, face me!_

_A lazy splash of dark amusement. A deceptively gentle wave, with all the force of a tsunami behind it. No, you are _food_._


	31. Chapter 8: World in Peril! V

**World in Peril! V**

"I …see." Richmond sighed upon hearing the Dinaurian king's news. He glanced over at where Creed sat on the teleporter steps. The girl's eyes were half closed as Duna dutifully cleaned the bloody gash on her temple and then firmly wrapped bandages around the Fighter's head.

_Poor girl,_ he thought,_ she gave so much to protect us from the Dinaurians…and now it seems it was all for naught._ "This is quite the situation we're faced with."

"Yes," Dynal stepped forward, head bowed in shame. "and I am sorry to say that it is a situation for which there is only one remedy—" he looked up. "escape from Earth." He looked over the gathered humans. "We will carry as many humans as we can aboard our starship." He promised, his gaze flickering to Creed as Duna finished with the bandages and straightened up. "It is the least we can do." _Our fault, all our fault._ "I will remain behind, if it means one more human can be carried to safety."

"I…" Duna hesitated, "will do the same."

Creed's head jerked up, eyes widening slightly. _No, I won't allow it!_

"A noble thought," Richmond said softly, "but that just won't work. We can't fit enough humans on your ship to make much of a difference."

"But—!" Dynal argued, stopped, and then conceded mournfully. "…You are right."

For a moment, there was silence.

_A perpetual cloud of dark blue grief, sorrow, and mourning, blended with resigned mauve and gray-blue. All our fault, we failed._

Creed flinched as she took in the proud Dinaurian's beaten form. His depression was almost painful.

"In that case," Rosie perked up suddenly. Everyone looked at her. "how about this? We use Dinaurian technology to build an even _bigger_ ship!" Her pink hair bobbed excitedly, "We can call it 'Project: Noah' and load every last person onto it!"

A pause. The two Dinaurians exchanged glances and simultaneously _winced_.

"I'm sorry," Duna spoke, "but no amount of technology is going to make a ship big enough to carry every human." Another flinch. "Besides, there's not enough time. Guhnash will be here before you know it."

"Okay then…" Rosie frowned, folding her arms as her foot beat a pattern into the metal floor. Then another idea struck and she jumped up again. "You can use that ray-gun thingy that turned me into a mouse to turn everybody into mice! Then we can fit everyone onto your ship! We'll call it 'Project: Squeekums'!"

Creed choked, biting her lip to keep from snickering. _That's Rosie…_

"Um, yes, but…" Dynal couldn't help a tiny smile at the small girl's enthusiasm, "it would still be very difficult to fit everyone onto the ship."

"Fine, then!" Rosie frowned and then spun around with an air of finality. "We'll just have to attack Guhnash head-on and destroy him!" She darted over to Creed and grabbed her wrist. "Come on, the sooner we start the sooner we finish!"

Creed stubbornly remained where she was.

Dynal turned away. "We appreciate your enthusiasm," he said sincerely, "but _that _is the most impossible idea yet." A forlorn sigh, "For thousands of years, my people researched ways to defeat the monster Guhnash. We concluded that there is _no_ weapon capable of slaying him." His back bowed and his shoulders drooped. "Guhnash _will_ eat this planet. There is nothing that can be done about that."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Creed glanced over as Diggins walked in, "there _is _a way to defeat Guhnash…" Dynal's head jerked around so hard that Creed thought she heard a _crack_ from his neck. "I spent a long time in that crashed Dinaurian spaceship with its Guhnash tissue sample and experimental data.

He held up a finger. "I realized that, while every part of Guhnash is essentially a living weapon… It can't live without the coordination of its three brains." A smile. "And before I secured myself in stone sleep, I pinpointed exactly where in the beast those brains are."

Diggins looked at Dynal. "With your teleportation technology, it _should_ be possible to attack and defeat Guhnash's three brains.

Both Dynal and Duna perked up, hope entering their eyes.

"But how?" Rosie spoke up. "We don't have any missiles or guns or anything!"

A sly grin. "But we _do_ have some powerful muscle behind us…"

_Of course._ Creed smirked.

"_Whaaat?_" Rosie shrieked. "You mean the vivosaurs? Are you saying we could defeat Guhnash in a Fossil Battle?"

"A Fossil Battle…" Dynal murmured thoughtfully.

He, and everyone else in the room, turned to Creed.

"Creed," Dynal spoke, "you are the most accomplished Fossil Fighter there is. We must ask that you fight Guhnash, Creed." He dropped to one knee, head bowed respectfully. "Please."

"But she's h—!" Duna argued.

"Ready and willing." Creed interrupted, standing up stiffly. "When do I go?"

/\/\

"Guhnash is unbelievably powerful." Dynal spoke softly as he entered the needed coordinates into Diggins' machine. "This will likely be the hardest fight of your life." He glanced down at the girl. "Are you ready?"

A smirk. "Always."

"You're sure? You are prepared to face Guhnash in battle?"

"Even if I wasn't, do we have a choice otherwise?"

Dynal nodded, conceding, albeit reluctantly, to her point. "Understood. Good luck, Creed. Prepare to be teleported to Guhnash."

A crisp nod, and Creed climbed onto the teleporter.

"Wait!" Rosie and Duna yelled simultaneously, both stepping forward. They sent each other dark looks.

"I'm going too!" Rosie said quickly. "I can't let you go alone, Creed!"

"I would also like to go." Duna nodded.

Dynal glanced back at them, and then up at Creed. "In case of an emergency, it would be safer to have some support. _However_," He looked down and held up a halting hand as the two girls perked up, "the teleporter can only send _one_ additional person." A pause, and he looked back up at Creed. "Creed, who will you bring with you?"

Startled, Creed didn't respond immediately, instead staring at two sets of hopeful eyes.

_Wh-why should I bring either of them into danger?_ She wondered with an internal flinch. _But…they will not take no for an answer…so I _must_ choose._ She studied them both. _Rosie…I don't know how well she fights…in all the times we been together she has never given any fighting support…but Duna _has. The incident on the wrecked starship came to mind.

But both were _children_. How could she take one with her…?

She sighed in resignation. _It's…probably hypocritical of me, but, _"Duna."

Rosie growled and glared at the Dinaurian as the latter stepped forward. "Thank you, Creed. I want to stand with you in this battle."

_It's not like I have a choice,_ Creed lamented,_ But you know what's at stake, Rosie…Rosie doesn't really understand the danger._

"Are you ready?" Dynal asked. "I am about to activate the teleporter."

Rosie stood fuming as Duna quickly joined Creed on the machine.

"Creed, together we will protect Earth and your people." Duna spoke softly.

"And avenge yours and your home." Creed nodded.

"Good luck." Dynal whispered, pressing the switch.

/\/\

Blackness engulfed her, and for a moment, Creed thought something had gone wrong until Duna spoke.

"It's too dark to see anything," A squelching sound, "but I think we made it. The squishy ground… The moist atmosphere…"

_Squishy? Moist? Oh I _really _hope we're not where I think we are._

An experimental _squish_ and then, "Yes, I think we have arrived at our destination."

"I hope you're right." Creed spoke softly, eyes slowly adjusting to the lack of light.

"Inside the mouth of Guhnash."

Creed gagged. _The mouth of—!_ "The mouth?" Her tone was carefully flat. "Really?"

A deep, guttural growl shook the air around them. Mountain-like teeth parted and light slipped in, revealing the cavernous space. Blinking, Creed glanced from the spongy blue tongue to the pinkish mouth walls, to the stars visible between jagged teeth.

"According to Dr. Diggins, Guhnash's three brains are located in the monster's mouth." Duna sounded almost apologetic. "If we can destroy those brains, Guhnash will lose control of its energy and explode."

"Bada-bing bada-boom." Creed commented wryly.

"You must be stronger now than ever." Duna said severely after a moment's confusion. "Every part of Guhnash is a living weapon. Its brains will be formidable—"

A resounding _screech_ sounded in the monstrous cavern that was Guhnash's mouth. Creed and Duna clasped their hands over their ears as their skin practically _crawled_ at the pitch.

Creed doubled over at the sudden, bone-crushing pressure.

_Rolling waves of black, crushing pressure of dark intent. A gaping _hunger_ that was never satisfied._

From shadows against the wall, massive forms writhed.

"I think the brains may have been alerted to our presence." Duna noted.

"No, really?" Creed all but hissed, gripping her head as another pulse shook her body. "Your battle form, now!"

_Dark tendrils reached out, almost curiously, like grasping tentacles. We are Guhweep, Guhvorn and Guhlith._

Creed's shoulders went rigid as she straightened up, eyes fierce. _I am Creed, face me!_

_A lazy splash of dark amusement. A deceptively gentle wave, with all the force of a tsunami behind it. No, you are _food_._

Metal flashed as Creed threw. _Everyone, prepare! We shall not yield!_

And then their enemies became visible.

_They're…like Aztec carvings…_ Creed observed distantly as the three titanic forms hovered before them. _ That's… oddly appropriate considering the situation._

Like giant ornate skulls, each brain was nearly _twenty meters_ in size.

At point was Guhvorn, shaped closest to a skull with twin curved horns jutting out of its upper cranium with giant, jagged jaws. At Guhvorn's starboard flank hovered Guhlith, shaped like a spiked mine, its lower jaw spun like a disk in a manner similar to a sander. And then, at Guhvorn's port flank hovered Guhweep. Resembling an ornate sun statue, its eyes were perpetually closed with tear-like markings under either socket.

Creed slid onto Chicane's back, Duna by her side, and then there was no time to think.

_Glyph: Waterspout! Duna, Delta, Torrent: Graceful Rage, Delta Combo, and Blue Fang from the water!_

Water surged, metal-like hide bore the brunt.

_Eli: Hinder Guhvorn. Acryl, Lethar: Support Kratos, Mistral and Ferno. Allo Fury, Great Vortex and S-Fury!_

Guhweep fluttered out of the way, evading the strikes. The brain gained altitude and then—

Chicane went flying, as did several other vivosaurs. Creed crashed into the moist tongue, almost overwhelmed as Torrent, Lethar, and Kratos were forced back into their Dino Medals. _Blast it!_

She forced herself back up, body slowly going numb.

_S-Combo, Delta Combo, follow it up with another Waterspout!_

Power clashed. Colors inverted momentarily as a mournful wail sounded. Guhweep spasmed and then collapsed to the ground/tongue in a broken heap.

_One down._ Creed thought with vindictive satisfaction, ignoring the way her peripheral vision was fading in and out of focus. _Cyclone—!_

Wind surged, but not Aero's. A tornado burst forth as the furious Guhlith roared.

Creed grasped futilely at the moist tongue, but was dragged into the whirlwind. Over the roaring winds, Creed heard the collision of flesh against metal-like bone and anguished howls.

_Water evaporated, color faded, and ground crumbled. Aggressive reds suddenly washed out to agonized grays. _

Glyph, Acryl, and Eli were struck down.

The wind suddenly vanished and Creed fell helplessly.

"Creed!"Duna caught her and hugged her close as she reoriented herself. In her grip, Creed clung to consciousness, blinking rapidly to try and remain awake.

Duna's talons gripped spongy ground—

A shockwave sent her careening into one of the iron-hard back teeth. Duna's battle form shattered.

Angry roars. An explosion.

_Blazing shadows, never ending hunger, faded to dim gray._

Guhlith joined Guhweep's cooling corpse.

Creed trembled. Only Aero, Chicane, and Ferno remained, and only just. Blinking stars from her vision, she looked up. Duna stood protectively in front of her as the remaining vivosaurs pounded away at Guhvorn with vicious abandon.

A curved horn flexed, Guhvorn moved.

_Duna!_ Her body moved. Lunge ahead of the oncoming danger, reach the unwary Dinaurian and _push_—

A startled gasp, just before something slammed into her side and the world turned to static.

_Blacks surged and spilled victoriously, dark ground crumbling away to an unending abyss. Fade, fade away._

"Creed! Creed! Please wake up, Creed! Don't leave me!"

Blinking, the world an unfocused haze, Creed could just make out Duna leaning over her, eyes impossibly wide. Her eyes flickered, static seeping in again.

_A raging tempest of wind and fire. A maelstrom of hot, _angry,_ blended colors. Creed!_

At her vivosaur's command, Creed jerked up sharply—

—and flinched as pain lanced through her side. Clawed hands struggled with the thick jacket, blood streaming through grasping fingers despite all attempts to staunch the flow.

_I'm bleeding…_ Creed realized blearily._ Never mind, we need to finish this._ Tuning out Duna's protests, she forced herself up again, blood pounding in her ears.

Forcing herself upright, she pointed at the badly damaged Guhvorn. "Cyclonic Combo!" _ End this once and for all!_

_Hurricane winds roared, focusing and compressing together into a destructive wind tunnel. All colors bled to a solid sheet of determined reds. I obey!_

Ferno and Chicane at either flank, giving their own support, Aero inhaled. His ribs expanded and he opened his maw.

A raging wind tunnel engulfed Guhvorn. An earsplitting wail sounded as Aero dug deep into the ground.

_S-Fury! Lethal Poison! _

A blazing tongue of flame and cyclone of toxic wind blended with Aero's attack. Guhvorn was completely blocked from view—

Creed's vision whited out.

Steadying claws braced her shoulders and she blinked, gray-tinted vision returning. Despite her exhaustion, she smirked as she watched shattered fragments of the brain raining down throughout the cavernous mouth.

"You destroyed Guhnash's brains." Duna whispered sounding almost reluctant to believe it. Creed straightened up and Duna took a step back to grin up at her. "You did it, Creed! You saved the Earth!"

Just as exhausted, the three remaining vivosaurs limped up. Chicane approached Creed, and handed her the other's Dino Medals.

_You all did exemplary._ Creed sent with a weak grin.

The trio seemed to swell up with pride but was otherwise too tired to give any response. They returned to their medals as Creed dutifully returned them to her sleeves.

A pained moan shook the cavern as Guhnash writhed. Static seemed to fill the air.

Duna suddenly went pale. "Without its brains to regulate its energy," She gulped. "Guhnash will explode. We must now teleport back." She walked up to Creed and activated her teleporter.

Light swirled up, and then fizzled out.

"No good." Duna grimaced, pressing the button rapidly to no effect. "Guhnash is leaking too much energy. It's interfering with the teleporter's tracking system."

"Wonderful." Creed drawled. "Any _good _news?"

"Don't worry." Duna assured. "I was prepared for this and brought a backup plan." She held up another odd machine. "We will use this portable stone-sleep inducer." A wary smile. "In stone form, we'll be able to ride out the explosion safely."

_If we aren't shattered on impact._ The cynical part of Creed's mind whispered.

"King Dynal will easily be able to find us later and revive us."She held out a clawed hand. "Quick, hold my hand so we don't get separated."

Fighter and Dinaurian stood side-by-side, almost attached at the hip, hands clasped firmly together.

"We will see each other again soon, Creed." Duna said shakily, pressing the button—

—and everything went dark.

/\/\

"_We will see each other again soon, Creed."_

That solemn promise echoed through her mind.

It was dark, and she felt so _cold, _but she couldn't shiver, she couldn't move at all.

_Duna…be safe, please._

**Next Time**:

"King Dynal told me not to say anything," Diggins shifted uncomfortably, still holding Creed upright, "but there's something you should know." He looked her in the eye. "When you and Duna used the stone-sleep inducer, the energy leakage from Guhnash…tainted things."

"Tainted?" Creed repeated. "Tainted how?"

"The stone-sleep device…malfunctioned."


	32. Chapter 8: World in Peril! VI

**World in Peril! VI**

Light seeped in through the expanse of darkness, warmth returned. Creed blinked rapidly, blinded. She staggered forward, and fell forward—

Sturdy arms caught her.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." The cheerful voice pierced the fog in her mind. "How does it feel to be on the _other_ side of a fossil revival?"

Dazed, Creed hung limp in the protective grips, waiting for things to make sense.

"Creed," a shrill voice sounded, "we're safe! You defeated Guhnash and saved the world—we're all safe!"

_Guhnash…?_

—"_The intergalactic scourge that consumed our entire world…"—_

—"_Creed, you are the most accomplished Fossil Fighter there is. We must ask that you fight Guhnash, Creed. Please."—_

—"_You did it Creed! You saved the Earth!"—_

_Saved…the Earth? _The fog began to lift. _Guhnash…Duna!_

Creed jerked upright, overbalanced, and was quickly braced again as she shook her head.

"You must be tired. Take some rest. We can catch you up later." Richmond suggested softly.

"Duna…" Creed rasped. "Where's Duna?"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

_No._ Creed thought with growing dread, looking up at Diggins.

"King Dynal told me not to say anything," Diggins shifted uncomfortably, still holding Creed upright, "but there's something you should know." He looked her in the eye. "When you and Duna used the stone-sleep inducer, the energy leakage from Guhnash…tainted things."

"Tainted?" Creed repeated. "Tainted how?"

"The stone-sleep device…malfunctioned." A cough, "Um, how do I put this…? We…We weren't able to revive Duna."

_No…Duna!_

"She is apparently stuck in stone…forever."

She couldn't breathe. The mournful howl of _no, no, NO!_ pounded through her mind. _I promised!_ She thought in emotional agony. _I _promised_ to protect her!_

"If you want to see Duna," Rosie whispered softly, "you should hurry over to the Park Area."

Go see Duna, Park Area…wait. "Hurry? What's wrong?"

"King Dynal wants to give Duna a proper farewell…before they leave our planet."

_Leave? But they—!_

"If you go now, you should make it in time. Go!"

Creed didn't hesitate. Faster than she thought possible in her condition, she was out the door and racing towards the Park Area.

/\/\

"Duna…" Creed whispered, her hand tracing cold stone. "No…"

It hurt. It felt like a gaping hole had been ripped deep inside her chest. Why Duna? Why not her? Why, why, _why?_ If the ground split open at that moment and crushed her within, Creed didn't think she'd have the strength to care.

Someone moved next to her.

"Creed," Dynal spoke softly, "we are grateful for your skill and bravery in defeating Guhnash. It is most fortunate that you were able to be revived."

Creed glanced up at him with sorrowful aquamarine before looking at Duna again. Dynal cleared his throat.

"I assume you heard about Duna's condition." If possible, his voice was even softer than before. "As you can see, she is still bound by stone sleep." He clenched his fist. "Nothing in our vast array of technologies has been able to revive her."

"So…you're leaving again?" Was the hoarse question.

A nod. "Yes, we will venture back into space, hoping that someday we will find a way to revive her—"

"Wait, digadig!"

_The Chieftain?_

The older man ran up. "I know a way to…" he panted, sliding to an abrupt halt, "restore this young lady to her normal form, digadig."

Creed gave him her full attention, standing _very_ still.

"You must be confused, old man." Dynal stated stiffly, a frown set on his face as he gave the Chieftain the look of longsuffering patience usually reserved for when children give a stupid suggestion.

"Not confused, no. There is no confusion in the minds of a Digadig." The Chieftain sniffed. "We don't catch colds, either."

Creed sniggered despite herself at Dynal's suddenly taken aback expression.

The Chieftain turned to Creed. "Last night in my dreams, the fossil god," Creed twitched, "spoke to me, and this is what he said, digadig." A deep breath. "Only the power of the good earth can awaken the sleeping daughter of a far-off star." Dark eyes stared intently at Creed. "Young Fighter. I have heard that you and this girl saved our good earth, digadig."

_Where are you going with this?_

"I believe that in…payment for this deed, the fossil god," Creed twitched again, "has given me this…hot tip, digadig." The chief stood tall. "So, young Fighter. You must stand before the girl… And you must perform the dance! Digadig!"

_Is he suggesting…?_

"Gather the power of the land with the passion and vigor of your staff-twirling dance, digadig!"

Creed felt the skin under her eye _twitch_, ever so slightly.

"Fossil god?" Dynal repeated, perplexed. "Power of the good earth? Staff-twirling? I know little of these things…"

"Lucky you…" Creed muttered under her breath. Judging from the slight twitch of a pointed ear and a deepening look of confusion, the Dinaurian king had heard her.

All the same, yellow eyes shown with a hesitant hope. "But I still encourage you to try, Creed."

_For Duna._

The chieftain held his staff out to Creed.

Creed gripped the staff in a reverse grip, holding it emerald-up. The back of her free hand touched her forehead, and she rested the staff tip against her palm.

"Let us begin the ceremony, digadig! Twirl passionately! Twirl vigorously! Twirl that staff! Digadig!"

—"_The staff-twirling dance requires great…passion and vigor,"—_

_Vigor is right._

"May your staff guide the power of the earth upward, digadig!" The chief shouted. "Wake this girl from her stone slumber, digadig!"

She _felt_ the emerald in the tip, not unlike how she _felt_ her vivosaurs. Only this wasn't a sentient being, this was a focus and an amplifier. So, as when she exerted influence over Glyph or Ferno, she did the same to the emerald, the main difference being that she focused more on sending vitality rather than commands.

The emerald began to grow warm against her hand, and she could see the glow through her closed eyes.

_Now._

She swung her arm hard port, spinning on the ball of her foot. Facing forward she grabbed the head of the staff with her other hand and arched back tracing it up her stomach and past her face. One hand released as she straightened while the second gripped the middle. The staff rolled rapidly across the back of her hand, spinning in a rapid figure eight, the glowing emerald leaving a trail of green light in its wake.

The glowing light grew almost hypnotic as it spun a trail around her hands and across her back, stomach and shoulders, spinning in a constant blur.

The staff left her fingers as she tossed it. A starboard tornado kick, followed by a sharp one leg spin as she caught the staff again and dropped to one knee, spinning it over her head in a horizontal figure eight.

She stood up sharply, leg trembling and pain shooting up her side. Tuning it out, she gritted her teeth and did a rapid hand roll behind her back and let it roll over one shoulder.

Green light grew in intensity. _Just a little longer…_

She tossed it again, spinning sharply three times on the ball of her foot before catching it again. Another horizontal spin, joined with a tornado kick. Drop to her knees, a sharp drop-spin, twirling sharply while kneeling and then swinging back up to her feet. The edges of her vision grayed out, but she ignored it.

_Almost…_

A sharp step forward, she gripped the middle of the staff and swung forward sharply. The emerald tapped lightly against Duna's fossilized head, and lightning crashed.

The world swam, grayed out, and then went blank all together.

/\/\

"…Creed?"

_Cold,_ Creed noted numbly, _I feel very cold…_

"A miracle!" Dynal's relieved laugh. "This is, without a doubt, a miracle!"

A blink, and the world slowly slid into fuzzy focus. _Everything's gray again…wait…Duna?_

The Dinaurian girl was blinking in confusion above her.

Creed jerked up abruptly, "Duna—ack!" Pain froze up her limbs and she fell back into Dynal's supporting arms.

"Creed," The Dinaurian king laughed in sheer relief, "your passion and vigor and staff have broken the unbreakable!" Yellow eyes looked down at her in utter gratitude. "You are truly an exceptional being!"

"Was…was I only awoken from stone sleep now?" Duna shook her head, disoriented.

_She's safe, she's _alive_!_ Creed leaned back, relaxing. _Everything's…alright now._ Her vision began to fade again. _Everything's…alright…_

Duna knelt down next to her, eyes bright. "Creed, you saved me once again. Thank you." Her gaze flickered down, landing on Creed's still bleeding side. A hint of worry and urgency entered her tone, "Now, you need medical attention, badly. Your Majesty-?"

Dynal gave a start of surprise. "You're injured!" he realized, "I didn't…" his ears drooped marginally.

"It's, alright," Creed grunted trying to sit up again. "Too many other things on your mind—hey!"

Strong arms slipped under her and scooped her up. Dynal held her close to his chest as he turned back towards town.

"I—I can walk." Creed sputtered, feeling her face heat up.

"I think, it's time for someone to take care of you." Dynal glanced down, "It's the least we can do. Just rest now."

_A gentle flow, a warm current of comfort. Rest now, sleep, trust me._

Creed's eyes drooped at the gentle command.

"Cheap shot—" she groused before falling asleep.

/\/\

Our Hero!

_Displaying heroism the likes of which_

_the world has never seen, our hero_

_Creed saved us from extinction!_

_On behalf of the citizens of _

_Vivosaur Island, the Tribune gives _

_our sincerest thanks to Creed!_

_Let's just hope that Creed_

_stays on our island for a good, _

_long time!_

/\/\

Diggins whooped loudly, still clad in his prehistory regalia. "With all the doom and disaster taken care of, we can finally get back to normal life again!"

Behind him, Wendy nodded. "Indeed, Doctor." She agreed, and then eyed his attire. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but will that include _finally_ changing out of that outfit?"

"Funny you should ask." Diggins looking fondly down at the skins. "I've really enjoyed getting in touch with my 'inner caveman'. And…" he glanced back at her with a grin. "I'm thinking about making this the official uniform for Fossil Center employees…"

Wendy stared at him incredulously, groaned, and then turned away, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"What?" Diggins called after her in confusion, "What did I say?"

Wendy sighed loudly and looked back. "Nothing 'Thog'. Will you also be trading in your computer for a club made of bone?" She then walked off, leaving a bewildered scientist in her wake.

/\/\

"Remind me, Vivian…" Snivels groaned, shoving some trash into the garbage bag he was dragging behind him. "How exactly did we get stuck on garbage-pickup duty?" He grimaced at a particularly nasty bit of trash. "Why didn't we skip town?"

"Because," Vivian growled in a carefully controlled tone, "it's not a town—it's an island, you twit!" she glared at him. "They took our boat, so it was this or jail time."

Rex barked at them, glancing up from his bag.

"Hey, slacker," Vivian threw a soda can at his head, "you missed one!"

Snivels winced in sympathy at the metal-on-skull _twang_ and Rex's startled yelp of pain. "Man, I _hate_ repaying my debt to society!" With a sigh, he grudgingly went back to work.

/\/\

In a dark cell, gloved hands gripped metal bars.

"You haven't beaten me yet." Bullwort muttered, looking both paler and thinner than he once was. "Just you wait and see." His voice a low rasp. "I built this place! I'll escape and when I do, you'll all _suffer_ for this indignity!" An insane, anticipatory glint, a hoarse chuckle, "Oh, how you'll suffer! You'll all suffer _so _much!"

"Hey, hey!" the agitated guard turned to look at the inmate. "Quiet down in there, or you'll be back on carrot sandwiches for dinner!"

Bullwort reared back as if slapped, eyes widening in horror. "No!" He gasped. "Not the sandwiches! Anything but the carrot sandwiches! I'll be good!"

/\/\

"So the runt saved us all from total annihilation, huh?" Saurhead grunted, leaning back on a bench. An amused rumble. "She might finally be a worthy rival for me!"

"Big news!" the fanboy gasped up at his father. "Saurhead just accepted that hero kid as an official rival!"

"Megaton!" the fighting fan practically _squeed_, "That makes a total of two rivals for Saurhead: Kid and Tyrannosaurus!"

Behind his mask, Saurhead rolled his eyes.

/\/\

Nevada Montecarlo ran her fingers across ancient stone wall. "There are still Digadig secrets to find here—" she murmured to herself, "I can smell them!" Her fingers came across a small catch. A blink, followed by a thoughtful hum. "I wonder what this button does…"

She pressed it. The tiles beneath her feet rumbled and dipped downward. Blinking, she sighed.

"Ah, darn." _I wonder if Creed will be dropping by any time soon…_

The trapdoor collapsed.

/\/\

"It's a big day, my boy." McJunker clapped a meaty hand down on Holt's back. The boy's legs buckled. "Today," beady eyes glinted, "you'll be initiated as an official mine car worker!"

"Yes, sir!" Holt saluted crisply, standing tall.

"First," McJunker held up a finger, "let's talk about the single most important aspect of a good mine car repair—"A pause for effect, "love!" Holt stumbled. "Always remember that. You have to genuinely feel love for the mine cars. Feel it, boy?"

Holt hesitated, "Umm…love?"he repeated warily.

Huffing, McJunker straightened up. "Repeat after me…" he commanded briskly. "'Pretty little mine cars'!"

"P-pretty little mine cars…?" Holt repeated obediently.

McJunker turned to the car in front of him. "I love you, mine cars!" He hugged it tightly.

"I…um…I love you, mine cars!" Holt spluttered, though refrained from the hug.

"Sweet little mine cars…" McJunker began planting kisses on dirty metal.

"Er…Mr. McJunker…?"

/\/\

"Digadig!" the chieftain chirped thoughtfully as he returned to his village. "Even I was surprised at the…impact of the staff-twirling dance, Digadig." His eyes lit up. "I believe it is a dance that should be known throughout the world!" Laughing, he twirled his staff vigorously above his head.

"Hello, world, Digadig!" He bellowed. "This is one vigorous, passionate dance!" he twirled, and almost overbalanced as a _pop_ suddenly echoed through the trees. Grimacing, he gripped his back with a groan. "Oh! My…back!"

/\/\

"I have been speaking with the humans," Dynal announced as he stared at the silent idolcomps, "it's been proposed that we live here on Earth with them. The other Dinaurians have all agreed." He glanced down at a much subdued Raptin. "What do you think, Raptin?"

The younger Dinaurian flinched under his king's gaze. "Do you think…do you think the humans will really accept us?" he asked weakly, eyes going distant. "We look so different from them…"

Realizing he had said that aloud, he shook his head vigorously and turned away to hide the sudden coloring in his cheeks, "I—I mean…I would be honored to take my place alongside them."

Joyful chirps made them look up at the sub-idolcomps. All four jumped on their pedestals in a wave formation, ecstatic at the news. Dynal's eyes curved upward and he glanced down at Raptin again. The boy looked up shyly with a small hesitant smile of his own.

/\/\

"It took some doing."Richmond mused, relaxing at his desk. "But things are finally back to normal." A fond smile. "That young woman really _did_ turn out to be something special!" The smile grew into a grin. "I can't wait to see how she impresses us all next." Anticipatory laughter sounded through his office.

/\/\

Rosie sighed forlornly as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"With all the action over," she sighed again, "I'm so _bored._" A thoughtful pause, and then she perked up. "I know! I'll go see how Creed's recovering." A giggle. "She must be bored too, tied to that hospital bed all day and night with no one to talk to."

Jumping up she started to the door. "She's probably wishing for someone to diga-drop by—" She paused, mid step, puzzled. "Wait, why diga-did I just say 'diga'?" She stomped her foot. "Diga-dang it!" A growl. "I diga-don't believe this spell!" She stormed toward the door. "I'm gonna go talk to that chieftain and diga-do something about this—" freezing mid step, her eyes widened.

Smoke burst.

Rosie-the-rat gapped in disbelief and squeaked in outrage.

_Oh come on! Even the regression ray's effects are still lingering?_ She spun around sharply in outrage and then threw her head back with a howl, _Why meeeeeee?_

/\/\

"Hello, Creed."

Creed glanced up from the dock railing and smiled at Duna.

"Shouldn't you still be recovering?"

A shrug. "I'd go insane if I had to stay in the hospital bed any longer. So I came out for a breath of fresh air."

A wry smile formed on Duna's lips. "How'd you get around the straps?"

A shrug. "I asked Eli to bite through them." A gesture towards a curled up swift thief. "Then I rode Chicane out here."

Duna sighed and shook her head, then moved to lean next to her friend. "It seems as if things have finally calmed down after all that…commotion."

Creed snorted softly.

"From now on, humans and Dinaurians will live together in peace on this beautiful planet." Duna gazed wistfully over the water. "All of this was possible because of your efforts, Creed." She snuggled up to the older girl's arm. "So I tell you this with all my heart…thank you."

She looked up at Creed, who, despite still looking exhausted, had a relaxed look on her face Duna hadn't seen before.

"You will continue to dig fossils…There are certainly still plenty of them out there to dig up." Duna nodded thoughtfully. "All the other Fighters out there are only going to get stronger, so you have to keep on training hard!"

"Of course I will, I love to fight. Although," a pause, then a wry chuckle, "perhaps not quite as much as I used to."

"I will be your number-one fan." Duna promised. "And I will never be far away." A pause, and then Duna giggled.

Perplexed, Creed glanced down again. After a moment, Duna calmed down and the two stared out at the stars, the moon, and the ocean.

"I think…" Creed murmured softly, leaning against the smaller girl. "I'm only going to be a part-time Fossil Fighter."

"Oh?" Duna looked up, intrigued.

Creed smiled down at her. "Dr. Diggins offered me a job as one of his field researchers. I'll be looking for new fossils to catalogue."

"Sounds like you'll be very busy." The Dinaurian noted.

A nod. "I will be. In fact, he said I'll probably travel the world to find new fossils. With my vivosaurs, I'll be able to go places others can't."

"You, you will come back to visit, right?" Duna asked somewhat worriedly.

A chuckle. "Of course. To visit you and your people, Dr. Diggins and Rosie, as well as have the occasional Fossil Battle."

"Good." Duna breathed in relief. "King Dynal will be glad about that."

Aquamarine blinked, puzzled. "Oh?"

"Yes," A vigorous nod, "He was very impressed with you. You're the first person to challenge him in a very long time, and the only one to beat him. It's refreshing to him, I think, and he'd like to see you again."

_Oh my,_ Duna giggled mentally, _Is she _blushing?

Shifting slightly, Creed glanced away, embarrassed.

"And, you can also get to know Raptin." Duna continued, repressing her giggles. "I think you'd like him. He's really a good friend."

"Really? Maybe you'll have to introduce us properly then." Creed suggested, "Our past meetings were rather—"

"Ms. Peregrine!"

Creed winced. Chicane looked up with interest

"What on Earth do you think you're doing out of bed?" the orderly stormed up. "Honestly, do you want to recover or not? Really! You're as bad as Mr. Saurhead!"

"Back to the bed." Creed muttered, trying to shrink down. She glanced at Duna hopefully. "Would you come by sometime? I could use someone to talk to."

"Of course." Duna nodded as Creed was dragged away by the irate orderly, an amused Chicane trailing after them.

Once they were gone, Duna giggled again. With a thoughtful look, she activated her teleporter and returned to the ship.

**End**


End file.
